Dumb Luck
by DarklessVasion
Summary: You don't need luck if you plan well, right? Well even the best laid plans can go awry and knock you for a loop. The Inu-tachi is headed for more adventure. Nothing new in that-or is there? (Third story - Complete)
1. Time is Precious

**Dumb Luck **

**By: Darkless Vasion**

Disclaimer – I do not own InuYasha or any of the characters. They are the property of the brilliant Rumiko Takahashi. This story is an individual creation that I hope is up to the quality of the real series.

AN – Hooray! I finally got to see the third movie!! Fantastic! And my Idea for a new story has finally taken shape. My goodness, it was difficult. I really don't want to copy anyone else's ideas, (and there are lots out there that are really good.)

Bad News – I check out one of my favorite Inu-fan-sites ) quite frequently and she has many information resources and those sources say...the InuYasha anime series is having its finale in a few weeks with the double episode 166-167 (it's gonna be a great episode!). I'm in the process of downloading #163 as I'm typing this. Only 3 more to go...

I feel like crying.

The Manga is still going strong and the story doesn't end there. Looks like I have to start collecting Manga now. I'm not giving up on the Inu-tachi. _INUYASHA FOREVER!!_

**Chapter One: Time is Precious**

The dark-haired girl climbs the wooden steps wearily, taking a deep breath before sliding the wellhouse doors open, the runners gliding easily. She shifts the straps of the heavy, yellow backpack more comfortably as she looks fondly at the Higurashi home bathed in the glow of the setting sun and sighs again. Kagome blinks tiredly, closes the doors and trudges across the Shrine grounds towards a hot bath, a filling meal not cooked over a campfire and her wonderfully soft bed.

Stepping through the front door she calls out, "I'm home!" as she slips her shoes off. Silence greets her in the dimly lit interior and she frowns slightly. "Mama?" No answer, so she looks up the stairs to the second floor, "Jichan?" Still no answer and her shoulders slump in disappointment. _'Where is everyone?'_

She steps forward and uses the handrail to help pull her weary body up the stairs to her room. _'I guess that leaves bed and bath...'_ She pauses halfway up and lifts her uniform's collar for an experimental sniff, wrinkling her nose. _'...And not in that order.'_

About 40 minutes later after a good scrubbing and a nice soak, Kagome re-enters her bedroom rubbing a towel over her wet hair and wearing clean pajamas, her slippers scuffing softly across the wood floor. Tossing the damp towel over her desk chair, she flops on her bed with a slight squeal of happiness.

"Ahhh...so good to be home." She squeezes the pillow around her head, uncaring if the cold strands of her hair get it wet. She lets her arms fall back as she is hit with a huge yawn. Kagome looks at her alarm clock and thinks, _'I should wait up...'_ Her eyelids droop, _'they should be home...soon...' _and her eyes close, her soft breathing the only sound in the quiet house.

* * *

"Kagome?"

"Mmm..." Kagome sighs and nuzzles into her pillow.

The bed dips and the soft voice comes again, "Kagome?" followed by a gentle hand shaking her.

One eye peeks out through tangled hair to see her mother sitting next to her with a tiny smile and a ceramic mug in her other hand. The steam rising from it was enticing and, pushing her untidy mop of hair back, Kagome sits up and reaches for the cup. "Mama."

Mrs. Higurashi's smile grows, "Okairi, Kagome." She relinquishes the cup of hot tea and reaches up to tenderly tuck more of her daughter's hair behind her ear. "And good morning."

Kagome hesitates with the cup halfway to her lips, glances at her bedside clock and at the pale dawn light outside her window. "Morning?" She looks questioningly at her mother and takes a sip of the spiced tea, "Why didn't you wake me when you got home?"

Her mother's smile fades, "We got in so late and, because you looked so tired, I just didn't have the heart to wake you."

Kagome holds the mug with both hands and inhales the delicious steam, savoring it with eyes closed. "Late?" she echoes and opens her eyes before asking, "Where were you?"

Mrs. Higurashi sighs and clasps her hands in her lap and looks calmly at her. "That's why I woke you up a little early; so I could talk to you." She watches her daughter take another sip, "I don't want you to worry, but I had to take your grandfather to the hospital—"

Kagome gasps and she almost spills her tea, "Jichan?! Mama, what--?"

"I said don't worry," Mama reaches out and steadies her hands on Kagome's wrapped around the mug. "He had a little fall and broke his leg-"

Kagome gasps again, her eyes wide.

"-But he's going to be fine and will be home later today." She lets go and sits back with a deep breath, "He'll be fine," she repeats and stands up. "Now, you just finish that and come down for breakfast after you get dressed." She turns for the door and stops with one hand on the frame, looking back at her motionless daughter to ask, "You were planning on going to school, yes?"

Kagome nods mutely.

Mama gives her another smile. "Good. I'll start on your lunch too," and she closes the door behind her.

Kagome sits there, blinking. _'Jichan...' _She looks down at the rippling surface of the cooling tea and feels tears building_. 'I...never worried...'_ Frowning down at the mug she thinks of all the times her family had supported her in all her endeavors; normal and not-so normal. With all the dangers on the other side of the Bone-eater's Well, home seems so safe. But with a simple accident...

'_It could have been worse and I wouldn't have been here.'_ She wipes at her blurry eyes with her sleeve, _'and Jichan is so old...'_ She sets the mug aside, not really wanting it anymore, and throws back the covers to slide out. The bulging yellow backpack sits on the floor next to her desk and she stares at it guiltily. _'I should stay here to help.'_

Nodding and firming her lips in decisiveness she moves toward the closet door.

* * *

"Kagome-chan!" 

She turns to see Ayumi, Eri and Yuka in their identical green-skirted uniforms come running up. She waits for them, holding her bookbag and smiling.

Ayumi looks down at Kagome's foot and back up, "Did your Gout go away?"

'_Gout...'_ Kagome's smile turns a little sour, "Um, yeah...I guess so."

Eri moves to her other side as they continue to walk together towards the school. "You know we're having a science test today?"

Kagome nods, "I studied hard for it." She pats her bookbag. "Thanks for dropping off the notes."

Yuka squeezes in-between Kagome and Ayumi and asks in a loud whisper, "How are things going with your boyfriend?" Ayumi looks interested and Eri nods vigorously, "The violent, two-timing one."

Kagome stops and blushes. Three pairs of eyes stare avidly so she takes a breath and starts walking again, "Fine."

Yuka leans close to Ayumi and whispers, "Do you think it's alright?"

Ayumi shrugs, "She seems ok with it."

Kagome ignores her friends' concern and keeps walking. They all turn the last corner near the school when they hear a familiar, "Higurashi!"

The teenage-trio turn with bright smiles and wave to the tall boy approaching while Kagome rolls her eyes before turning too as her friends call out in chorus, "Hojo-kun!"

The young man in the dark uniform has eyes only for the much-absent Kagome, "Ah, it's been a while Higurashi."

She glances up at him and gives a small smile, "Hello Hojo-kun."

He looks her over with a little frown, "You haven't been taking care of yourself," and shakes his head. "You look tired." She raises her eyebrows as he peers closer, "Did you boil the root I left with your Grandfather to help your 'pink-eye'?"

Her obviously-clear eyes widen, _'...pink...eye?'_ She slumps with a sigh and nods at him. _'Jichan...can't you at least tell the same story...?'_ She straightens and says brightly, "Arigato Hojo-kun."

He glances at his watch, "I have to go." He walks away with a carefree wave, "I'll see you later Higurashi!"

She waves back, turns and is halted by three identical frowns. Eri cocks her head, "You really should give Hojo a chance."

Ayumi adds, "He's so nice and he always asks about you."

Yuka nods in agreement, "He wouldn't 'two-time' you." The other two nod.

Kagome looks from one to another and decides to not answer. "We're gonna be late," and she walks around them towards the wide open doors.

The trio stare after her and sigh collectively before following.

* * *

Kagome says goodbye to her friends and climbs the long stairway to her family's shrine, her head down in thought_. 'I think I did ok on the test.'_ She pauses at the top, staring forward but not really seeing anything. _'I sure studied enough for it.'_ She smiles at remembering the leaky hut she and her companions had taken shelter in... 

**--Flashback--**

The dim light from the two candles made reading difficult and she was squinting, determined to finish this chapter before getting some sleep. The occasional flash of lightning outside made it that much harder as her eyes had to adjust to the darkness again each time.

Shippo was peeking over her shoulder, his fluffy tail twitching, "What are you reading now?"

'..._as seen in most cases...'_ She squints harder and answers absently, "Science."

The ever-curious kitsune looks at the few pictures on the page and the strange drawings that were incomprehensible to him, "And what's it about?"

She sighs and rubs her tired eyes, "It's about the world and how things work and why they work the way they do."

"Things just are. You don't need a book to know that." The soft but arrogant statement came from the eavesdropping hanyou sitting cross-legged near the doorway with his arms wrapped around his sheathed Tessaiga and his golden eyes luminous in the low light, his pale hair easily the brightest thing in the dark one-roomed hut.

Kagome gave up, closing the book and sitting up with another sigh, stretching her arms over her head. "Not everyone can know everything like you InuYasha," the sarcasm was barely detectable.

He snorts and his dog-like ears twitch at the verbal hit. "I suppose this is for another one of your 'Tests'?" It sounds like the word left a bad taste in his mouth.

"Uh huh." She covers her mouth as she yawns.

Shippo shrugs and bounces over to Kagome's waiting sleeping bag and crawls in. InuYasha watches him snuggle down and then glances at the Monk and Taijiya that had fallen asleep over an hour ago, their breathing soft and even, too tired to be disturbed by the rumbling skies. His alert eyes swing back to the worn-out young girl stuffing the schoolbook back into her pack, seeing her rub her eyes again. He sighs with resignation, "I guess we'll have to make camp earlier in the day."

Kagome looks over at him, puzzled. "Why?"

He glances at the still burning candles and then back at her, "So there is still some daylight left."

She sat stunned by his blunt statement and stared at him. _'Daylight...'_ She looks down at the candles and a smile grew, she couldn't have stopped it if she wanted to. And she didn't.

Her smile was aimed at him and his eyes widened. "Arigato InuYasha." She leaned down and blew the candles out.

**--End Flashback—**

Kagome is still smiling when she pushes open the front door of the Higurashi home, "I'm home!" She slips off her shoes in the entryway and walks into the front room. Her Grandfather is sitting in his favorite spot with his lower left leg in a cast propped up on pillows. "Jichan!" She drops her bookbag and rushes over to wrap her arms around his shoulders in a heartfelt hug.

He returns the hug, patting her comfortingly, "Kagome!"

She leans back and wipes her eyes, smiling at him. "Are you alright?"

"Sure I am!" He lifts a nearby cane and gives the cast a light whack causing himself to wince a little. "This is only temporary. I'll be back running the shrine in a few days-"

"Weeks." Mama is standing in the kitchen doorway wiping her hands on her apron. "The doctor said you have to stay off it for at least two weeks. And then only for short periods of time. You have to let the bone mend before you go climbing on ladders again," she said pointedly.

Kagome looked up with wide eyes at her mother. Mrs. Higurashi nodded in acknowledgement. Kagome straightened and looked down at him with her hands on her hips in mock anger. "Ladder? That old rickety one that was supposed to be thrown away and you hid behind the storage room?"

He squinted an eye at her, "Now see here! That ladder is perfectly fine. It only needs a few screws-"

"Not anymore." Mama stepped further into the room. "I had those nice young men that carried you up the stairs haul it away."

"Haul it...?!" He sputtered at her retreating back and shook his cane, "I'll have you know that my father made that ladder..."

Kagome grabbed the dangerously waiving cane before it could do some damage, "I thought you said you found it at a junk sale."

He stopped trying to take it back and looked up at her, "I did?"

She sighed and nodded, judging that it was safe now and handed the cane back. "How could you be so careless... " She sniffled a bit and he stared in surprise when she suddenly hugged him again. "Jichan."

* * *

Later that evening while she is bent over a book on her desk in her room, a light tapping at the window breaks her concentration. She sighs and closes the book before turning to unlatch the window, allowing the silver-haired hanyou to enter. 

InuYasha pushes it open and climbs in, "Ready?"

She looks up at him with his arms crossed and his expression calm. _'That won't last,'_ she thought; dreading the upcoming argument. Kagome stands up and braces herself, "I'm not going."

His eyes narrow and he frowns, "Nani?"

'_Oh boy...here it comes.'_ She takes a deep breath, "I said, I'm not going."

His arms drop and his face turns suspicious, "Did you take your test?"

She clasps her hands behind her back and nods. "Uh huh. I think I did pretty good on it and I really appreciate that you let me have time to study InuYasha." She watches to see if the implied 'thank you' had defused the rising temper in her dog-eared friend.

He blinks a couple of times before tilting his head in confusion, "Then why-?"

"I need to stay here for a while," she rushes in before he could remember to get angry. "I have responsibilities here too. You seem to forget that."

He opens his mouth to respond but she is faster, "But I'm not blaming you; I'm just as guilty of forgetting it too."

She takes a deep sigh and he closes his mouth with a slight frown, finally seeing the strain around her eyes, "Kagome...what's wrong?"

His sudden concern takes her by surprise and she looks down blinking back tears, knowing how much they will upset him. "Jichan fell and broke his leg. I want to stay here and help out so he won't hurt himself again."

A few minutes pass before she hears him sigh and looks up to see him re-fold his arms, turn his head away and say, "You can stay." Her eyebrows rise at her easy victory.

He straightens his shoulders and looks at her with a sideways glance, "So you can stop crying." He turns his back on her and places his hands on the windowsill. "How long?"

Kagome wipes at her eyes, "What?"

He keeps his back to her, "How long will it be?"

She bites her lip and thinks for a few seconds. "Um...four weeks?" She waited with her hands clasped hopefully in front of her.

He spun around in shock, "Four weeks?!" He slashed his hand out in emphasis, "No way! That's too long!" His eyes narrowed and he leaned closer, "Two weeks!"

Her eyes widened and she put her hands on her hips, her jaw firming, "Four!"

His hands waved over his head in exasperation, "Why don't we just hand over the shards and save Naraku the trouble?!" He crossed his arms again and glared at her, "Or have you forgotten we still haven't found them all?" His chin went up, "Two!"

She stepped closer and huffed fiercely, "Of course I haven't forgotten! You never let me! Four!!"

His arms dropped and he bent down to get in her face, "Two!!"

"FOUR!'"

"TWO!"

"INU-YA-SHA...!"

He knew that tone and stepped back in alarm.

Too late..."OSUWARI!"

".......................All right.........three."

* * *

Please Review! 


	2. Time for Reflection

Disclaimer – I do not own InuYasha or any of the characters. They are the property of the brilliant Rumiko Takahashi. This story is an individual creation that I hope is up to the quality of the real series.

AN – a few translations – Shimenawa is a straw rope with Gohei (white zigzag paper strips) that marks the boundary to something sacred and can be found on gates, around sacred trees and stones, etc.

**Chapter Two: Time for Reflection**

Kagome falls back easily into the old routine of school, household chores and all the little details of keeping a shrine, which is open to the public, running smoothly. It was almost a welcome change from the constant searching for Shikon fragments amid questionable conditions and innumerable dangers...almost. There would come moments in between cleaning, sorting through boxes and other general tasks that all needed doing, when she found herself missing the strangeness.

And even though she cared dearly for her longtime friends, their juvenile chatter often made her long for her serious discussions with Sango, Miroku's insightful wisdom or Shippo's endless curiosity and boundless cheer. She would sigh and Eri, Ayumi and Yuka would drag her back into the conversation whether she wanted to or not. She found herself trying to act like the others her age and that's when she realized just how much of an 'act' it was.

Giggling over pop-stars or movie hunks just couldn't compare to the intense experiences she had gone through or the many people she had met on the other side of the well. "Teen Idols" and faces plastered on billboards didn't seem very real and she could care less about what they ate for breakfast or who was seen with whom. So, by the end of the schoolday, she was glad to wave goodbye to her friends and escape back home where she could hear herself think.

The only thing she didn't miss was InuYasha...because he showed up every other day. He would claim he was there to help but it seemed more like pestering to her. And his impatience was often so visible that she knew that if he could hurry up Time itself by pushing, her four weeks would be over already.

And then again...just yesterday when he had carried Jichan outside to sit under the Goshinboku so he could enjoy the fresh air and sunlight, she had found him over an hour later still with her grandfather, sitting and quietly talking to him. Something indefinable about the way they looked had made her back away without saying anything, not wanting to intrude. She had peeked around the corner of the house to make sure they hadn't noticed and ended up watching them for a few minutes, curiously watching what seemed to be a very serious discussion between the old man and otherworldly hanyou. Very curious indeed.

She had left them undisturbed and didn't ask InuYasha about it later, not wanting to embarrass him._ 'Come to think of it, he had been very quiet the rest of the day.' _Kagome frowns to herself as she climbs the long stone stairway up to her home, her bookbag quite lightweight compared to her fully loaded yellow pack. _'Huh...there I go again. Comparing here and there.'_ She sighs, shaking her head as she steps on the pathway to he house, then changes her mind and takes the path leading to the Goshinboku instead.

She sits down on one of the small stone benches and stares at the gohei on the Shimenawa tied around the trunk of the tree fluttering in the breeze_. 'I know I belong here in this time and place.' _

A distant rumble draws her attention up to the deceptively small airplane, moving slowly across the sky and winking in the sunlight, headed to some unknown destination. _'I've never been in a plane but I have flown...'_ She watches it until the silver vessel is just a speck and thinks about riding on Kirara's back with the wind in her hair._ 'How many people can say as much?'_

She continues to gaze blindly at the blue sky_. 'There are things I miss when I'm here...and things I miss when I'm there.'_ She looks around her home, so full of memories_. 'I could never leave my family for good...' _her eyes stop on the wellhouse_, 'and I can't imagine never seeing my friends again.'_

She frowns pensively, _'My family is very important to me...but it's also very important that all the Shikon Shards are located and I'm the only one who can find them.'_ The pale image of Kikyo with her sad eyes and proud bearing drifts into her mind and she gives a small self-mocking laugh_, 'Well, at least I'm the only one who doesn't have a private agenda and is willing to do so.'_ The undead Miko is always a touchy subject, one best left alone.

Kagome laughs softly again and rolls her eyes. "That's another thing," she looks up at the ancient tree and asks, "How many people can say they've met their past selves?"

So looks back down at her slightly dusty shoes_, 'So many things I can't talk about to my friends...or to my family.'_ She sighs deeply,_ 'And for so many reasons.'_ She hears the doors of the wellhouse slide open and looks up to see InuYasha step into the sunlight. _'And yet...'_ she stands up and begins walking over, _'...I wouldn't have wanted to miss any of it.'_

InuYasha sees her and closes the doors behind him before walking towards her, his hands hidden inside the voluminous sleeves of his red haori as he so often does, meeting her halfway.

She tilts her head to the side, "Your back."

He quirks an eyebrow at her, "Heh, that's obvious."

She grips the strap of her bag, "Well, for two weeks now you've only come every other day, so I didn't expect you today." She squints up at him, "Why the change?"

He shrugs and looks uncomfortable, "Do I need a reason?"

"No," she shakes her head and lets it go. Instead she thinks about the list she had made of things she wanted to get done today and wondered if she could keep him busy and out of trouble. She thought about the weeding he had asked him to do last week and shuddered_, 'Why he had thought that digging up half of the proper plants would make weeding easier...? Thank goodness I stopped him before the whole garden was ruined.'_ Her eyes light up when her gaze lands on the roof of her house, _'Cleaning out the gutters! I hate that job and he's perfectly suited to do it. He won't even need a ladder.'_

She smiles at him, "Feel like working?"

He looks a little suspicious but shrugs again, "I'm here aren't I?"

She puts one hand on her hip and gives him a considering look, "Now who's stating the obvious?" She shakes her head and grabs his arm, "Come on. I'll feed you first." She pulls him along behind her and, noting his slight resistance, says over her shoulder, "and I promise...nothing spicy."

He stops dragging his heels and allows her to lead him into the house.

* * *

InuYasha gives the tie one last tug to secure the knot and looks at his handiwork with a critical eye. _'That should be good enough.' _With a satisfied nod he stands up and leans the broom against the wall of the shed and walks out. He closes the door and doesn't see the broom bend crookedly where the scrap of material is wrapped around it before toppling to the floor. 

He makes a quick scan for witnesses and sighs in relief_. 'I wonder what else I'm gonna have to do?' _He looks down at his hands and brushes them together before walking towards the house. _'Why does she make me do things she only yells at me for later?'_ He makes a scoffing sound remembering last week when he had helped carry groceries and he set the bag down a little too hard...

**--Flashback—**

Kagome held the door open with her back and holding two bags of her own. She motioned with her head for him to go in and said, "Just set those down on the kitchen table."

He nodded and carried his double-handful of bags into the kitchen to plunk them down. She was right behind him, setting hers down as well. She and her mother started emptying the bags, putting the various things away. He watched curiously, wondering where it would all go.

"Ewww!" Kagome pulled her hand out of one of the bags with a disgusted expression and looked at the wet, slimy substance covering it. She made an even worse face, "Gross, egg!" She looked into the bag then over at him, "Can't you be more careful with things?" She moved to the sink to wash her hand still muttering, "The whole pack...smashed..."

He watched her growing anger and said defensively, "How was I supposed to know it was so fragile? Am I a mind reader?"

She grabbed a towel and dried her hands giving him a narrow-eyed look, "You're always breaking things!" An accusative finger is pointed at him, "Like my window this morning!"

His eyes rolled, "Again with the window? I told you; it was an accident!"

Mrs. Higurashi laid her hands on Kagome's shoulders, giving a gentle squeeze and smiling at InuYasha, "Now that's enough. Nothing has happened that can't be fixed." She bent over her daughter's shoulder and made eye contact, "Right?"

Kagome sighed and nodded contritely. Mama looked over at InuYasha and gave him another small smile. He had felt a little ashamed and looked down to stare uncomfortably at the floor. The two Higurashi women returned to putting things away and he had slunk out while Kagome's back was turned, leaving through the well without saying goodbye.

When he had returned two days later it wasn't mentioned, though Kagome had seemed happy to see him.

**--End Flashback--**

'_Will I ever understand...'_ He frowns as he walks, head down and arms crossed. He suddenly stops and looked up at the brilliant colors of the sunset and noticed that the constant noise of this busy modern city sounded muffled. He takes a deep breath and can only faintly smell the nearby flowers and whatever was cooking in the house, but not the ever-present stench of road-tar or the acrid exhaust fumes that drifted up from below and usually assailed his senses. He slowly walks over to sit cross-legged under the Goshinboku. Closing his eyes and slumping in resignation, he waits.

Kagome steps through the front door and moves until she could see onto the roof, "InuYasha?" When she didn't see him she looks around, _'Now where would he be...'_ The brilliant red of his garments drew her eye to where he sat, his pale hair picking up similar reds from the setting sun. _'Oh.'_ She walks over and sits down next to him, hugging her knees. She sees him glance at her and she turns to watch the sunset too, waiting for him to say something. After a few minutes of silence she turns back to him. _'He looks...lonely.'_ She leans forward to get his attention, "InuYasha?"

His eyes slide toward her and then away, "Hmm?"

"Is something the matter?" Her voice was concerned.

He stares fixedly at the sliver of sun still visible over the horizon and shakes his head, saying quietly, "Nothing new."

She frowns and leans back, her shoulder brushing his. The colors in the sky deepen and clouds of fantastical hue drift along as the stars begin to twinkle in the growing darkness. Kagome sees his hand resting on his knee close into a fist and looks over at him in concern, only to have her eyes widen in surprise. _'That's why...?'_

InuYasha's jaw tightens and his brown eyes dare her to say anything from under lowered brows.

She stares at his black hair and his stubborn look with mild wonder, still amazed at this monthly transformation; at how odd his full-human form seemed when she was more used to his wilder-looking hanyou appearance. She did some belated mental calculations and silently berates herself for forgetting the date then looks at him in puzzlement. "I thought you said you wouldn't come here when...?" Her voice fades and she looks down, remembering his heated words at her earlier offer, _'I may be weak when I'm human but I won't go _hiding _like a scared pup in your home!'_

She lays her hand on his shoulder and says quietly, "Do you want to come inside?"

He shakes his head, "Not yet."

She looks over at the light shining through the windows of the house then back at him. "Do you want me to bring you something to eat out here?"

His head shook again, "I'm not hungry."

Kagome sighs, drops her hand and leans back against the tree, looking up at the faint stars fighting to be seen through the light pollution of the big city. "Is it alright if I sit here with you for a while?"

He reaches for her hand in answer, holding it warmly in his.

* * *

AN – Gee, that was kinda slow but I liked it. It seems that no matter what I outline, the characters take over and do their own thing, going in directions I never planned on. Hmm...it probably won't do any good to talk to them; they barely listen to me as it is. Oh well. 

Please Review!

Thanks.


	3. Puzzling Behavior

_**Disclaimer** – I do not own InuYasha or any of the characters. They are the property of the brilliant Rumiko Takahashi. This story is an individual creation that I hope is up to the quality of the real series._

_**AN –** I really should stop reading other stories while I'm writing one. Sometimes I come across some good ideas and my imagination starts to fly with them...instead of staying on task with my own. Tsk, tsk, tsk. The attention span of a gnat; some would say._

_By the way...is anyone as amazed as I that when Kagome meets InuYasha, he is actually 200 years old? Yes, he did sleep for 50 of it, but wow! They don't come right out and say it in the third movie but all the hints weren't exactly subtle._

_Only one episode left...it's official. The double episode #166-167 – The Bond of Two, Using the Shikon Shard._

_**Translations** – **Omamori **is a traditional good luck charm and the most common form they take is that of a small, flat embroidered cloth bag with a knotted loop of cord at one end. Within (or on) this charm is usually a prayer or invocation as well as a symbol and the name of the deity it embodies. These inscriptions are usually in a very ancient form of Japanese that Shinto priests use to call upon the Kami in various rituals. (I love doing research! I'm learning so much.)_

**Chapter Three: Puzzling Behavior**

"Good night, Kagome." Her mother gave her a warm hug.

"Good night, Mama." She returned the hug and turned to climb the stairs carrying a folded blanket draped over her arm. Her steps slowed as she thought back over this strange evening...strange because of her mother and Grandfather's behavior...or rather the lack behavior. _'I'm not too surprised at Mama's calm acceptance...'_ She paused on one step with a small frown, _'...but Jichan...not one comment or exclamation?'_ She rolled her eyes and continued her ascent, _'Just that long story about his trip to see a rock.'_

At the top of the stairs Souta, upon hearing her, popped out of his room with eyes wide and not sleepy at all. She quickly grabbed his shoulder before he could open his mouth and spun him around with a push back through his doorway. "No! I told you, he's not sleeping in your room. You have school in the morning and I know you would probably stay up all night bugging him."

His face fell and he pouted, "Aww, Neesan...how mean." His shoulders slumped before he shuffled back into his room and closed his door with one last crestfallen look.

'_Sheesh! That's five times! He was excited enough for all of us tonight...well,'_ Kagome moved over to her door with a sigh, _'I can't blame him.' _She wiped the smile from her face before opening her door and stepping into her lighted room. Her eyes immediately went to the black-haired boy in the all-red garments sitting on the floor under her window, his arms wrapped around his sheathed sword and hands hidden in the deep recesses of his sleeves.

InuYasha's dark eyes watched her enter and she felt a small ache in her heart at his alert posture and wary expression, _'Even now, he won't let himself relax.'_ She closed the door and crossed over to hand him the blanket. He stared at it but made no move to take it so she set it down next to him before turning to pull back the covers and sit on the edge of her bed. She clasped her hands together and said matter-of-factly, "You don't have to stay awake InuYasha." She dropped her eyes and slid off her slippers, "There are no enemies here."

He looked uneasy and turned his head away, "Feh...as if that would make a difference." He shrugged and wouldn't look at her, "I'm not tired."

She stared at his profile in silence for a few minutes before sighing and slipping under the covers. She reached for the light on her nightstand when a thought hit her_, 'Just what did he and Jichan talk about yesterday?' _She paused before turning it off, "Ne, InuYasha...?"

"What?" He finally looked at her.

She sighed and shook her head, "Nothing." She flicked the switch allowing darkness to flood the room and lay back, thoughts swirling around unanswered questions. _'Why did you come tonight when you swore you never would? Why can't you let your guard down just this once?'_ She rolled onto her side facing the room. _'Oh well, I don't have to know.'_ Her smile was hidden in the dark, "I'm glad you're here." She closed her eyes feeling content in knowing that he was safe tonight of all nights, "Good night, InuYasha."

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He was gone before she woke up the next morning, the blanket still folded and untouched. Kagome climbed out of bed and picked it up, hugging it to her chest. She sat back down on her bed and stared in disappointment at the empty spot where he had sat until her alarm clock went off. She shook herself, _'Baka,'_ and got ready for school.

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Days went by and he didn't return. She found herself looking at the wellhouse whenever she crossed the grounds or passed a window in the house that faced it. It was the first thing she looked at in the morning before dressing for the day and the last thing before turning out the light. After a week she shook out of her preoccupation and applied herself to her self-appointed mission. She managed to do tons of make-up work for school and when her thoughts turned toward that quixotic hanyou, she found things to do, determined to keep busy.

The only glitch was when she found the broken broom with its clumsy patch lying on the floor of the storage room. Kagome stared at it with a puzzled frown until she remembered who had used it last and she smiled, an amused giggle escaping as she pictured him trying to fix it then hiding it. The giggle grew and she held her stomach as she laughed until she hurt. She wiped her eyes with a sigh, picked up the useless broom and tucked both pieces in a dark corner. She gave it one last look, smiled and closed the door behind her.

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The last day finally arrives and Kagome is standing at the top of the wellhouse stairs, her yellow pack stuffed to capacity and weighing down her shoulders, saying goodbye to her little family. Her Grandfather is sporting his new walking cast and leaning heavily on a cane with Mama and Souta on either side. She looks down at the awkward-looking plaster and feels guilt at leaving again. She frowns at him, "Are you sure I shouldn't stay a little longer?"

His wrinkled face twists with amazement, "Why? You – "

Mama rings her hands around his arm to silence him, "It's fine, Kagome. We can take it from here." She smiles trustingly, "You have others counting on you too."

Kagome smiles back and wraps her arms around both of them in a hug, "Arigato."

She steps back and her mother asks, "Do you have the bag?"

Kagome nods and her smile widens.

Jichan reaches into a pocket and holds out and ornately embroidered omamori, the blue and gold stitching brilliant in the late afternoon sunlight. "Kagome, take this. It's very old and will bring you luck."

Kagome takes it with hidden amusement_, 'How old? Part of that shipment you got last month?' _She tucks it into her pocket and simply says, "Thank you."

Souta peers down at the well and waves wildly, "Bye Inu-Oniichan!"

InuYasha waiting down below gives an impatient snort, "Damnit woman! How much longer are you gonna take?"

Kagome heaves a long-suffering sigh and turns to descend the stairs, "Alright! I'm coming alread—Eeek!!" She misses a step and falls forward to be caught in InuYasha's arms before any damage can be done.

He sets her on her feet and steadies her before stepping back and crossing his arms with a disgusted expression, "Jeez! You get clumsier all the time!"

Her mouth drops, _'...well...I _was_ happy to see him...'_ and she closes it before she says something she might regret. She grits her teeth and sits on the edge of the well, "Let's go." Swinging her legs over she slips in and disappears into the darkness below. Barely hesitating, he picks up the extra bag of supplies and jumps in after her.

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"Kagomeee!!" Dashing through the doorway, the exuberant kitsune launches himself at her and she barely manages to keep from being knocked over.

"Shippo-chan!" She holds him close while he blubbers happily on her, her heart melting at his unrestrained affection. She strokes his wild hair and murmurs, "I missed you."

He leans back to look up at her, sniffles and begins unashamedly crying all over again, "Kagome!" Throwing his little arms around her neck he buries his face and clings tightly.

"Welcome back, Kagome-sama," Miroku and Sango emerge from the hut and hang back, waiting for the histrionics to end.

"Kagome-chan," Sango's smile is identical to one the Monk is wearing, her hands clasped primly in front of her. Kirara sits next to her mistress with her twin-tails wrapped around her tiny feet.

The door-flap lifts again and Kaede steps out with a pleased smile, "Kagome, glad I am that ye've returned."

Kagome looks at her circle of friends and smiles back at them.

A thud from the sack being plunked down behind her gains everyone's attention. They all turn to face InuYasha, the irritated expression on his face an obvious warning. He crosses his arms and arrogantly states, "We're heading west tomorrow." He turns his back on them and begins walking away, saying loudly, "Be ready!"

"Oi! InuYasha! You Jerk!" Shippo goes from tears to outrage in a heartbeat and yells at him from over Kagome's shoulder, "How can you be so unfeeling?! Aren't you glad that Kagome is back?"

The moody hanyou refuses to turn around and keeps walking towards the trees, "Quit your yappin' – Crybaby!"

Kagome spins with a gasp to glare at his retreating back, "InuYasha!"

He halts for a second at her voice then turns to snap irritatingly, "I'll be back in the morning!" He leaps forward to disappear into the forest.

She stares blankly at the trees for a bit before turning back to her friends, all smiles gone. "What is wrong with him?"

Sango shrugs with a helpless look and Miroku frowns in consideration. Kaede steps forward to help Kagome remove the heavy pack after Shippo jumps down with an angry look turning his childish features quite fierce. He finally gives a tiny snort and turns his back on the forest.

Kaede gives the forest a squinting glance, "InuYasha has been like that since the new moon." She looks back at the puzzled young girl, "The little he's been here, that is."

"The new moon?" She watches Sango and Kaede nod while the Monk rubs his chin with deep thought. _'Did I do something?'_ She looks in the direction InuYasha had gone, "He hasn't been here?"

Miroku approaches to pick up the discarded sack and straightens with a sigh, "InuYasha is very impatient to find the shards, Kagome-sama." He meets her questioning glance, "I think he has been searching for clues on his own while waiting for you to come back."

She turns her head back to stare at the green barrier of trees, _'I hope that's all it is...'_

* * *

**AN –** I know it's a little short but I'm having difficulty. I should have the next chapter up soon. Thank you for your patience.


	4. Discovery

_**Obligatory Disclaimer** – I do not own InuYasha or any of the characters. They are the property of the brilliant Rumiko Takahashi. (Ubba-Duh) This story is an individual creation that I hope is up to the quality of the real series._

**Translations:**

_**Torii – **is the tall archways that are usually at the entrance to shrines. They come in various colors and are made of various materials, but most are made of wood and many are painted orange and black._

_**Haori** – A short to mid-length jacket/coat that can be worn over kimonos (which is a generic word for clothing in general) and were originally meant to be worn by men as a component of the hakama._

_**Hakama** – traditionally worn by the samurai, it is the skirt-like pants that some Ju-jitsu practitioners wear. (Although I have noticed that InuYasha's and Sesshoumaru's seem to be gathered at the ankle whereas in all of the pictures I have found of the Hakama shows them to be quite open at the bottom; hence the 'skirt-like' appearance. Maybe it's some kind of 'Youkai' fashion statement! LoL!!) The standard Gi worn in Karate, Aikido and Judo classes as well as in other martial arts was usually the underclothes._

**Chapter Four: Discovery**

Sitting around the firepit inside the hut, the companions discuss things they did while they were apart.

Kagome suddenly reaches for her pack lying against a nearby wall, "Oh yeah..." She digs inside for the small bag she had brought while the others watch curiously. "Ah! Here it is!" She pulls it out and turns on her knees back to the fire. She reaches into the opening and pulls out a small wooden wheel. She smiles and holds it out, the dangling string catching the kitsune's attention, "Here Shippo-chan. This is from my brother. When I told him about your top, he thought you might like it."

Shippo's eyes light up and he takes it, "Oooh!" He turns is over and over, admiring the bright yellow color and fingering the string. He looks up at her, "What is it?"

"It's called a Yo-yo." She demonstrates how you 'throw' the wheel and, with a tug, it rolls back up the string into her hand.

Shippo puts the looped string around his finger and gives it a few tosses, getting a silly grin on his face. "This is great!"

Kagome smiles at him and reaches into the bag, pulling out a short, squat can, "Kirara, this is for you. A whole can of tuna-fish."

The tiny cat's ears flick and she looks interested, "Mew."

Kagome sets the can down and dips into the bag again, "Ah, Sango-chan." She holds up a small, round container made of clear plastic and unscrews the top. She hands the bottom half to her friend, "It's lip balm." She smiles, "Smell it."

Sango obligingly holds the container to her nose and sniffs the pinkish stuff then looks up in surprise, "Strawberries!"

Kagome hands her the lid and nods with a grin, "It tastes like it too."

Sango raises and eyebrow and touches a fingertip over the slick surface and smoothes it across her lip. "Mmm..." her eyes widen and she gives a small laugh, "It does!"

Kagome grabs the sack and pulls out a paper-wrapped bundle, "Miroku-sama?"

He is staring at the beautiful Taijiya and doesn't seem to hear her.

Kagome shares an amused grin with Kaede and clears her throat, "Miroku-sama?"

He blinks and looks at her, "Hmm?"

She tries to keep a straight face at his slightly blank look and hands him the bundle of incense sticks, "Jichan thought that you would like these."

He take them with pleasure, "Arigato, Kagome-sama."

This time, Kagome pulls out a small wooden box. "Kaede-obachan?"

Kaede takes the box, her single eye wide, "For me?"

Kagome nods, smiling fondly at the old woman, "My Mother's favorite spiced tea." She takes a deep breath and looks from one to another, "These are only small things but my family wanted to thank you all for understanding my need to be at home and for taking care of me when I'm here." She bites her lip and continues, "And I wanted to let all of you know how much I value our friendship." Kagome bows low over her knees, "Arigato Gosaimasu."

Stunned silence greets her when she rises up and the surprised looks are just too much for her and she bursts out laughing. "I can't help it..." she gasps out as they stare at her, "your faces..." She tries to muffle her giggles behind her hands while her face turns even redder in the ruddy firelight.

The solemnity broken, Sango and Shippo begin to giggle too while the Monk and old Miko smile in amusement. Kirara blinks her wide eyes and turns to pat at the yellow yoyo's string trailing on the floor.

Kagome eventually catches her breath and wipes her eyes, trying to ignore the kitsune's high-pitched, infectious giggles when the almost empty bag captures her gaze. She sticks her hand inside and finds the remaining item. Kagome stands up, feeling the wrapping crinkle in her hand, "I'll be back in a little bit."

Shippo gasps just as she reaches for the door-flap and scurries across the room to latch onto her leg to look pleadingly up at her, "Not by yourself?"

She bends down and strokes a comforting hand over his hair, "I won't go far."

After a moment the worry eases in his eyes and he steps back, releasing her. She gives him a slight smile and goes through the doorway.

The almost full moon is half covered by broken clouds, the sky a spectacular deep blue with brilliant stars peeking though drifting holes; winking then hidden. The cool breeze is welcome relief from the earlier heat of the day, rustling the tall grasses that border the cultivated fields.

Kagome stands just outside, listing to the quiet voices from within made indistinct by the rushing sound of the swaying trees. Unsure of which way to go, she looks around the quiet village and then back at the not-so-distant forest, everything washed in a bluish light and dotted with deep shadows.

She eventually wanders over to one of InuYasha's favorite spots; the last in a row of trees. But the hanyou isn't there. _'Darn.'_ She waits there for a few minutes before slowly walking back towards Kaede's, her head down and lost in thought.

When the hut comes into view, she hesitates, feeling reluctant to give up so easily, and sees the long stairway to the right that leads up to the old Shrine. On an impulse, she climbs the stairs, passing under the tall Torii at the top, looking at the unused building and the well-tended clearing surrounded by shifting bushes. The moon finds another opening in the drifting clouds and illuminates a smaller wooden shrine atop a carved stone base off to one side.

'_Kikyo's grave...'_ She walks over and kneels in front of the little shrine, touching the rough stone surface and thinking of the misfortunate Miko and the series of events that had led to her early death and subsequent semi-resurrection.

'_Kikyo...'_ she notices the small spray of flowers placed at the foot of the grave marker flutter in the breeze and sits back on her heels with a sigh_, 'If you loved him...how could you ever believe...?' _Clothes and hair rippling, she watches the moon play hide-and-seek while the air swirls around the clearing, first in one direction then another.

There is no sound other than that of the blustering wind and shifting greenery but something subtle, the 'feel' of the place changing and she straightens, turning her head until she can see the dark-red of his hakama at the edge of her vision.

Kagome looks down at her hands resting in her lap, "I have something for you." She fingers the paper wrapping; waiting. The silence only grows and she stands up to face him, his expression unreadable. She holds out her closed hand but he only glances at it.

She frowns with impatience, _'All right, Mr. Stubborn!'_ Reaching forward, she grabs one of his hands to pull it up and slaps the object onto his open palm.

"There!" She turns her back on him in a huff, "It's from my Mother." She looks back over her shoulder, "She wanted to tell you 'Thank You'." His eyes widen and she fees a small amount of satisfaction at getting some kind of reaction from him. With that, she turns and begins walking towards the stairs.

"Kagome..." his voice is just loud enough to hear over the wind.

She stops but remains facing away.

"...I'm glad you're back."

Her shoulders slump, her anger completely gone with those softly spoken words_. 'How does he do that?'_ She shakes her head at her silly self and turns back. The lost look on his face causes her heart to lurch and she moves closer without thinking, "InuYasha – what's wrong?"

He blinks and looks away, "Nothing."

'_Oh, no you don't...'_ She approaches him determinedly, "I don't believe you."

His hand clenches tightly around the small gift and he still won't look at her, "Nothing, I said."

She reaches up, grabs a handful of pale-hair and pulls his head around to face her, "You want to try that again?"

"Fine!" His eyes blazing and ears back, he frowns down at her as he shouts, "I missed you!"

She lets go in surprise and yells back, "I missed you, too...you Blockhead!"

He straightens and they stare at each other in varying degrees of embarrassment. He is the first to look away and she sighs.

A strong gust of wind cuts though chillingly, breaking the tension, and she wraps her arms around herself, blinking behind strands of waving hair. "It's getting cold out here," Kagome reaches out to lay her hand on his sleeve, "Come inside near the fire."

He shakes his head, staring somewhere off to the side, avoiding her eyes, "I'm fine."

She watches his indifference to the biting wind and shivers.

He makes an impatient sound and turns suddenly to pick her up in his arms with no warning.

"InuYasha! What-?"

He leaps towards the stairs before she can say anything else and takes them quickly with two bounds, landing momentarily at the bottom and setting her down. InuYasha gives her a little push in the direction of the doorway of Kaede's hut and says gruffly, "Get inside before you freeze."

She looks back at his dark form, the moon's light blocked once more and hiding his features from her before he turns and dashes off.

Kagome stands there shivering for a few moments, the intermittent wind revealing the moon once more. He is nowhere in sight and she gives up and goes inside.

--------------

The shadows are deep where he stands watching until she goes through the doorway into Kaede's hut. InuYasha sighs in relief and turns away, bare feet making no sound on the soft ground as he walks with his clawed hands hidden in the wide sleeves of his wind-blown haori. He suddenly remembers the hard, paper-wrapped object in his hand and he stops, looking down at it in the bright moonlight, removing the paper.

The smooth, metal sides of the slender object looks durable but its purpose mystifies him. He turns it over and around in his hands, examining the opening that runs the entire length along one narrow side with the edge of something else tucked inside just barely protruding. The notch on the edge makes it easy for his claws to pull out the pronged arm, pivoting from one end where it is attached to the slender casing.

He holds up the folding comb to admire the light reflecting on the metal teeth with mild wonder.

---------------------------------

Morning and InuYasha arrive together to prod the little group into resuming their interrupted quest for the Shikon no Tama shards. His manner is quieter than the day before but no less impatient to hit the road. The small delay of repairing a snapped strap on Hiraikotsu is sufficient to make the hanyou frown until they are actually on their way, Kagome securely on his back with the Monk, Taijiya and kitsune riding on the flying cat-youkai close behind.

Obviously leading them directly west, InuYasha remains closemouthed about their destination and the trio mounted on the obliging Kirara faithfully follow the running figure, his silvery-white hair mingling with Kagome's black with every leap.

It was nearing noon and after traveling nonstop piggyback, Kagome was in dire need of a break and spoke up, "InuYasha, we should stop for lunch."

He didn't seem to think so as he continued up a rather steep hill with annoying ease, "I'm not hungry."

His callous statement stirred her ire, "You may not be, but I am!" She looked back at the others when they reached the top. "And I bet that Kirara could use a rest," she squeezed his shoulders, "especially if you mean to travel all day!"

He takes a few more strides before glancing back and stopping, unable to argue about that. He lets her down and watches with a frown as she stretches before walking around to work the kinks out. "Alright." He looks up at the approaching Kirara and sighs, "But not for – huh?" The ground shifts under his feet and his eyes widen as it caves in underneath them.

Kagome yelps as the ground disappears. She and InuYasha fall into the growing hole that continues to collapse on either side from the initial break, tumbling into the cavity and pelted with debris before landing hard about twenty feet below. She lies there on her back blinking furiously through the raining dirt up at the sky and tries to catch her breath.

Kirara has barely touched down before Sango dismounts quickly and rushes to the edge of the hole, stepping hastily back as it continues to crumble, "Kagome-chan!" Miroku, right behind her, grabs her hand and hangs onto Kirara with his other to anchor them and gives her a nod. She grips tight to his hand and leans out over the unstable edge, "Kagome-chan!?! InuYasha?!"

Kagome chokes and coughs, brushing at the dirt on her face, and sees her friend leaning precariously overhead. "San-go-" she sputters at the grit in her mouth. A shadow blocks the light and a very dirty InuYasha is bending over her, flinging the clods of dirt that had covered her to either side.

"Kagome!" His hair is gray under its dusty coating and his concern-filled golden eyes are startling in his mask of dirt. "Are you all right?" He takes the hand she hold out and pulls her upright, steadying her as she coughs and nods at him, unable to talk just yet. He looks up at Sango and waves, "Get back!" She nods and disappears from sight.

Kagome squeaks when he picks her up in his arms, setting off a coughing fit. His arms tighten and his jaw firms, waiting for the spasm to pass. She finally draws a clear breath and grabs onto his haori, leaning her dusty head against his shoulder as he steps back to gage the distance to the top and looks for solid footing amid the rubble before leaping mightily upwards and out of the hole.

The energetic kitsune bounces over and onto Kagome's lap before InuYasha can put her down, causing a small dust cloud, "Kagome! Are you all right?"

She gives a small smile to reassure him, making the dirt crease on her skin. "I'm ok Shippo-chan," her voice a little hoarse. She holds onto the worried kitsune as InuYasha sets her on her feet and Sango brushes helpfully at the dirt on her back.

Miroku is looking at the new crater, "How did this happen?"

Kagome lets Shippo down and beats on her skirt, making dust fly, "I don't know; the ground just gave away."

InuYasha is frowning down into the hole, "Youkai. I couldn't smell anything until the ground opened up, but it's definitely youkai."

Sango looks at him then moves closer to see down into the cavity, "Look...is that an opening?"

InuYasha jumps back in to check it out and Sango turns to Kagome, "Can I borrow your light?"

Kagome nods, removes her backpack and opens it, "Oh no!" Broken packages and pieces of various items scattered over her belongings make for one, big jumbled mess. "Everything is smashed!" She digs out the durable flashlight and hands it to Sango.

Sango jumps onto Kirara to take her safely down, the sides of the hole obviously not safe for climbing.

Miroku watches them disappear into the hole before handing Kagome a dampened cloth, saying calmly, "The things in your pack are replaceable Kagome-sama. The important thing is that you're not hurt."

"Arigato Miroku-sama." She takes it thankfully and wipes her face with it then looks at her hands and clothes, "Ick! I'm gonna need a bath."

Sango follows InuYasha into the dark opening, a tiny Kirara at her heels, training the light around the smooth sides of the circular-shape of what appears to be a tunnel angling downwards, deeper into the earth. She gets closer to better examine the curiously rippled pattern on the walls and floor of the wide passage. "It's huge; the top is at least fifteen feet high and the same across." She points the light upward at the rougher ceiling, "That's why you and Kagome fell through; it was too thin to hold your weight."

InuYasha is paying close attention with his sleeve covering his face. "The smell is much stronger in here," he adds, coughing behind the material. "Whatever it is, it's old and..."

Sango looks questioningly over at his pause.

He meets her gaze over his arm, "...It reeks of human blood."

She looks back into the darkness and he turns to walk out into the sunlight and fresher air. Kirara mews up at her and Sango nods, following InuYasha.

They cross to the other side of the cave-in and find an identical tunnel. Sango gives it enough of a look to confirm that there is no way to tell which way the creature responsible for the subterranean passage has gone, "But it's definitely traveling underground." She looks at the dog-eared hanyou, "That'll make it almost impossible to track unless it surfaces."

InuYasha gives her a serious look, thinking of the pungent smells, "It will."

She watches Kirara transform and shakes her head, "I sure don't want to follow it underground; that's too dangerous." She sighs and mounts the large cat. They return to their friends waiting above.

Sango hands the flashlight to Kagome as they explain their findings, "...and there is no way to tell which way it's headed."

They stand there looking at each other with their own thoughts before InuYasha makes an impatient sigh, "We need to keep going-"

Kagome turns on him, "That's enough! What you need to do is tell us WHERE we're going! What's the big secret?"

He frowns at her, "What do you mean? I heard that there was some kind of youkai plaguing this area and I thought that there might be a shard involved." He crosses his arms and looks superior, "There's no secret; I just didn't feel like talking!"

"Well you're talking plenty now!" She narrows her eyes at him and he looks away_. 'I know that look...'_ She puts her hands on her hips and says in a mild tone, "So..."

InuYasha's eyes swing back to her, "So?"

"How is Kikyo involved?"

He jerks like he's been hit and guilt is written all over his dirty face.

"I knew it!" She points a finger angrily at the cringing hanyou, dust falling from her sleeve, "You probably heard that she was in the area too!"

He looks away again and remains silent.

Kagome drops her arm with a tired sigh, picks up her discarded pack and turns her back on him, "I'll see what I can salvage for lunch."

Sango gives InuYasha a frown and follows Kagome towards a small stand of trees.

Shippo jumps onto Miroku's shoulder to glare at InuYasha, his fluffy tail twitching in agitation, "You're such a Moron sometimes!"

"What was I supposed to do?" He flings a gesturing arm in the girls' direction, spraying dirt in an arc, "You see how she gets!"

Miroku looks quite stern and says quietly, "Did you ever think that she 'gets' like that because it appears that you don't trust her enough to tell her right up front about things like this?" He turns to follow the others and Shippo, still riding on the Monk's shoulder, sticks his tongue out at the flabbergasted hanyou.

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Please Read & Review.

Thank You.


	5. Winds of Discovery

_**Obligatory Disclaimer** – I do not own InuYasha or any of the characters. They are the property of the brilliant Rumiko Takahashi. (Ubba-Duh) This story is an individual creation that I hope is up to the quality of the real series._

_**Review Response** – I don't normally but I just had to._

_**To ainominako**: You are so right, and all I can say is that it's from a habit I have of making notes to myself when I don't have time to finish reading a story that catches my attention. (Note to self – R & R) I had a good laugh at that one. Thanks for your observation. _

"_Duh is a state of mind" (maybe I should move to a new state...)_

**Chapter Five: Winds of Discovery**

Miroku is pretty good at keeping up with InuYasha on the ground, but he doesn't have much breath for giving the hanyou a few choice words as he would like and settles for aiming peeved looks at him that InuYasha completely ignores.

The two women, accompanied by the young fox-child, are riding on the flying cat-youkai and have stayed ahead of their companions, following the faint path they had found. The Monk stares at the twin-tailed backside and the trailing flames in front of them and thinks longingly of his accustomed spot behind Sango...close behind. He shoots another irritated glare at the red-garbed hanyou that is responsible for this current situation running alongside him.

At the top of a long rise, Kirara lands with her passengers to wait for Miroku and InuYasha. As they come trotting up, the rings on Miroku's staff chiming madly, Sango points ahead at a village – or at the remains of one. They proceed cautiously towards the collapsed buildings. A few of the buildings still stand and there are tools and belongings scattered about but there are no signs of fire and...no people. The biggest mystery are the numerous wide mounds of crumbled dirt that abound in and around the area. The silence is unnerving and they spread out to search through the destruction.

InuYasha stares at a nearby mound of dirt and thrusts a hand deep into it, clawing a open a hole to expose the damp soil under the dried outermost layer and wrinkles his nose at the familiar smell of earth and blood that rises from it. He looks at his handful of dirt before throwing it down in disgust, "Two days!"

He turns and approaches the others where they have gathered a few yards away, "It happened two days ago." The others look at him as he continues, "It was that tunneling-youkai."

Kagome looks around sadly and takes the small wooden doll that Shippo hands to her, "What happened to them?"

Sango gives a questioning look to InuYasha and he nods, "Dead."

The Taijiya sighs and gestures at a tumbled wreck that was once somebody's home, "The buildings were undermined." She brushes her hands together, "There is more of that crumbled dirt underneath the debris."

Miroku sighs, gripping his staff with both hands and looks up at the sun, "There is plenty of the day left." He faces the others, "and since there is nothing further that we can do here, we should warn others of this." He looks around the ominously quiet village, the only thing moving are leaves blowing about, "If it's not too late already."

Sango rests a hand on Kirara's furry head, "Yes. That thing could be anywhere by now." She looks at Miroku with a worried frown, "We still don't know how fast it can travel."

Shippo hops onto Kirara's back, "But how are we going to find it?"

InuYasha crosses his arms, "Keh – pretty simple; find a village that hasn't been hit." His frown is troubled, "Something with an appetite like that..."

Sango nods in understanding, "There's no guarantee that it won't eat often."

Shippo squeaks and his hair stands on end, "EAT?!"

Kagome eyes the ground fearfully and steps closer to InuYasha, "Maybe we should get going." She lays a hand on his shoulder and looks at him with a slightly pleading look.

InuYasha unfolds his arms in surprise but quickly turns and drops to one knee for her to climb on his back, feeling relief at her apparent forgiveness.

Continuing westward and deviating only for visible paths or rough roads that may lead to possible settlements, they find two more decimated villages with the telltale dirt mounds. Searching reveals nothing new and the urgency to find and stop this rampage drives them on throughout the remainder of the day.

The afternoon ends with the discovery of yet another violated village with the same disheartening pattern of destruction and lack of visible victims. This time the freshness of the mounded dirt lets them know that it happened less than a day before.

With the lingering stench of fear and blood prodding him, InuYasha grabs a fallen board and snaps it in two, snarling in frustration, "Damnit!" He throws the pieces back on the piled wood angrily and joins the others.

Miroku raises his head with a tired sigh after murmuring a short prayer for the missing villagers and looks a the strain showing on all of their faces, "We can't go any further today."

Kagome looks at the longish shadows cast by the empty dwellings and the mounds of dirt with a shudder, "I don't want to stay here."

Sango picks up a digging tool lying on the ground at her feet. "Considering the only evidence we have found of that thing surfacing is in places like this," she examines the sharp edge then leans it conscientiously against a nearby hut, "that would not be a good idea."

They follow the stream that runs past the village until they find a good spot to make camp. Miroku and Shippo take care of laying the fire while Sango and Kagome make use of the remaining light to find a sheltered bend of the stream for washing. InuYasha solves his own filthy condition by jumping in fully clothed further downstream.

InuYasha returns just as the sun dips below the hills, dripping wet and carrying a string of fish, to the welcome crackle of the fire and the comforting smell of hot tea. Kagome produces some fruit bars, which had managed to stay unscathed in her pack, to eat while they wait for the fish to cook. The sky grows dark and the discussion is minimal; not much more than _please_ and _thank you_ with each person lost in his or her own thoughts.

After stuffing himself, Shippo falls asleep on his back in Kagome's lap, his tiny fox-feet sticking up in the air. She touches his hair tenderly, the firelight enhancing its auburn color and deepening the pink of her pajama bottoms._ 'I wish I could sleep that easily.' _She reaches up to test the dampness of her hair and sighs.

Sango looks over at her while stroking a purring Kirara in her own lap, "Kagome-chan?" Her voice is hushed and she leans a little closer, "What's the matter?"

Kagome looks troubled, "I can't help but feel a little responsible that we didn't get here sooner..." She looks down at the fire, "...all those people-"

An irritated sigh draws her eyes to InuYasha where he sits across the fire, with his arms wrapped around Tessaiga and staring at her with eyes as golden as the flames. "All those people most likely would still have died." He frowns at her, "Getting here sooner doesn't mean we could have helped them."

She is not convinced, "You don't know that."

He shrugs, "Neither do you." He stands up and slips his sheathed sword back under his belt. "So it's useless to waste energy blaming yourself for so unsure a thing." With that said, he leaps up into the branches of the tree overhead and is lost in the shadows.

She looks a little stunned at his bluntness and Miroku speaks up, "I hate to agree but InuYasha is right." He tosses a small stick onto the fire, "None of this can in any way be your fault Kagome-sama. So be at ease."

Sango nods and lays a concerned hand on Kagome arm, "The fact that we are here now and will do our best to stop this creature counts far more than any doubts caused by our delay."

Kagome can't argue with their combined wisdom and gives them a slight nod. She picks up the limp kitsune and lies down, zipping herself and him into her bag. "Good night."

----------------------

Morning is coming, the sun beginning to peek over the mottled-green hills and a breeze gently blows across the land, stirring the tall grass and rustling leaves. Birds greet the day with cheerful song as they wing to and fro in search of food. Normal sounds of a normal day. The breeze suddenly gusts, fanning the ash-covered coals of last night's fire that are still smoldering.

Up in the tree standing sentinel over the campsite, InuYasha comes fully alert from his light doze, blinks at the pale morning light and quickly scans the area then relaxes in relief. _'They're still sleeping.'_ He leans to one side to glance down at his frail, human companions, _'I pushed them pretty hard yesterday.' _He shifts for a more comfortable position and settles back, one foot dangling. _'I can wait a little longer,' _and closes his eyes.

Another strong gust causes the tree to sway, creaking and groaning. One eye pops open in irritation as InuYasha automatically adjusts to the movement with years of experience. Another hearty gust has him looking up with both eyes, measuring the waving canopy overhead_. 'It's picking up...'_ The sound of branches scraping and small debris pelting him causes him to sneer_, 'I might as well forget it.'_ He flicks a small twig off his lap and has to suddenly grab hold to keep from falling from another hard blast that causes the tree to protest loudly.

**Crack!**

Something hits him on the top of his head and he flinches in surprise. He looks up and sees only the tree's branches swaying madly above...and feels something...sliding...

He puts a hand up to investigate and a look of disgust crosses his face when his hand comes away slimy. He examines the fragmented eggshell pinched between his fingertips, looks up again and begins swearing.

The others wake to the sound of the foul-mouthed litany and they each sit up in alarm, looking for danger as the pissed hanyou lands on the ground, pulling at his hair.

Seeing nothing but the ranting creature stomping around the campsite, Kagome asks, "Ne – InuYasha? What's wrong?"

He stops, heaves a disgusted sigh and picks another piece of shell from his sticky hair, holding it up, "That's what's wrong!" He sees her blink in incomprehension at the fragment before the sudden loud chattering overhead catches all of their attention.

A small brown bird is hopping from side to side on a low branch, flapping her wings and screeching angrily down at them.

InuYasha tosses the shell scrap towards the tiny termagant and barks, "I didn't take your damn egg – it F---ING FELL!!"

He turns his back on the amused looks of his so-called friends and says over his shoulder, "We're leaving as soon as I wash this CRAP outta my hair!" He stomps off in the direction of the nearby stream, ignoring the quiet snickers that he can hear quite well and mutters, "Stupid Bird!"

Kagome grimaces in sympathy even as her shoulders shake from repressed laughter and shares an identical look with Sango. They "EWW!" in unison and the giggles escape.

The squawking bird is not satisfied and, seeing a hated cat in the group rise and stretch, she swoops down to dive-bomb the innocent Kirara, pecking her mercilessly on the head.

The tiny twin-tailed cat-youkai squeaks and runs past her snickering mistress followed by her flapping attacker who is stubbornly trying to drive the cat away.

Kirara stops after a few yards with her ears laid back and spins to face her tormentor, flames shooting as she morphs into her huge, lethally-fanged form and snarling angrily.

The bird back-wings awkwardly and manages to actually fly in reverse before flipping in mid-air and, fighting the gusting wind, hastily retreats back into the treetops.

Kirara sneezes in satisfaction and saunters back to the silly humans rolling around on the ground; laughing like lunatics. She sits back on her haunches and nonchalantly begins cleaning her face in a cat-like manner. _'Foolish bird.'_

Another strong blast of wind fans the coals of the campfire, throwing sparks into the air and they scramble to stomp them out and douse the remaining coals.

Kagome brushes at a few singe marks on her sleeping bag, "I guess that means a cold breakfast." She begins rolling the bag, holding it while Shippo ties the strings.

Sango stirs the sodden ashes with a stick to make sure there are no live coals left, "Ah," she agrees and drops the stick to one side before turning to roll up her blanket.

Miroku retrieves Kagome's clothes from the bush they are draped over before the wind can blow them away and brings them to her, "It won't be the first time."

She takes them with a nod and a smile.

------------------------------

The wind is not as strong here, deep amid the trees where she walks and it wouldn't have bothered her much anyway. She is enjoying the normal sounds of the forest when they are interrupted by the tearful cries of a child and she stops her solitary progress, turning around to focus on it and then begins walking in the direction it is coming from.

Not far from the path she had been following, a young girl of about seven years of age is sitting under a tree, weeping into her hands. A basket lies on its side next to her, the contents spilled on the ground.

"What is wrong?"

The soft voice startles the young girl and she quickly wipes her eyes with grubby hands, smearing more dirt across tear-stained cheeks, before looking up at the beautifully pale face of the woman bending over her. The deep red and bright white of her garments contrast starkly with the long black hair spilling over the woman's shoulder and though she carries a long bow in her hand, her eyes are kind.

The young girl stares, _'how pretty,' _and hiccups, "I hurt my foot."

The woman looks at the obviously swollen ankle and crouches down, laying her bow on the ground. She grasps the foot to examine it, gently probing around the swelling and checking for heat. The girl gasps and the woman nods with a small reassuring smile, "Thank goodness; it's not broken." She reaches up and unties the long white ribbon binding her hair and proceeds to wrap the injured ankle to immobilize it. "What is your name?" The woman's soft voice is warm and friendly, winning the girls trust.

"Hona." Hona watches the woman tie-off the makeshift bandage then sit back on her heels with a considering look on her face.

"Hona..." The woman rights the basket and picks up a mushroom with a raised eyebrow, "aren't you a bit young to be out gathering by yourself in the forest?"

Hona's eyes widen, "Oh no! I always..." her voice trails off at the woman's knowing look and she hangs her head and says softly, "hai."

The woman nods, "I thought so." She tosses the mushroom into the basket and begins picking up the rest with a glance at Hona to do the same. "Which way is your village?"

Hona drops a mushroom and points. The woman nods again and they finish picking up the spilled bounty together.

"There." The woman stands and brushes the dirt off of her hands. "Time to go."

Hona watches her retrieve the bow when a thought hits her and she looks at her basket, unsure of what to do. The woman smiles and picks up the basket, plunking it down in the girl's lap. Hona wraps her arms around it and looks up in confusion, "But I can't walk."

Still smiling, the woman slings her bow over her shoulder and picks up the child, basket and all. "That's all right. I can." She turns and begins walking towards Hona's village.

Hona smiles in delight, happy at not having to abandon her basket, before another thought makes her look up to say, "You didn't tell me your name."

The woman looks surprised, "Oh, forgive me." She glances down at the rosy-cheeked girl in her arms and wishes she could blush like that...like she used to. "My name is Kikyo."

---------

Please Review (see, I didn't put read – LoL!!)

Thank You.


	6. Hope Follows Sorrow

_Disclaimer – I do not own InuYasha or any of the characters. They are the property of the brilliant Rumiko Takahashi. This story is an individual creation that I hope is up to the quality of the real series._

_Author's Note – I made a small mistake with the chapter titles for #4 & #5 and didn't catch it until after I had already submitted it. Please forgive any confusion this might make. I may rectify it later on...I may not. Oh, well. It's only a title. (Duh still reigns supreme!)_

_And in all good conscience, I must bump the rating up to "R" for future content. _

**Chapter Six: Hope Follows Sorrow**

"What do you mean, you don't know?" The man towers over the boy with angry frustration. A tearful woman standing behind him whispers, "Manobu..." and lays a hand on the man's shoulder which he ignores with his anger driving him. "You were supposed to be watching her!"

The boy hangs his head, "I'm sorry Otousan."

Manobu sighs and closes his eyes briefly, reaching up with one hand to cover his wife's slender one still resting on his shoulder. He gives it a gentle squeeze and looks down on the boy's bowed head. "Masanobu," he waits for his son to look up before saying firmly, "go and gather some of the men."

The boy immediately obeys, running off and his father watches him go before turning and taking the woman's hand between both of his, "Don't worry Miyo...we'll find-"

"Otou—saaan! Okaaa—saan!"

They both turn, surprised to see their missing daughter waving cheerfully in the arms of an unknown woman. Miyo gasps and runs forward to meet them, taking the girl to cradle her in her own arms, the basket in danger of being crushed as she kisses Hona's dirty face murmuring "thank God" over and over in relief.

Manobu is right behind her, giving a quick glance at the little girl's condition before really looking at the woman and, after observing her attire, bowing respectfully. "Arigato Miko-sama; for bringing our daughter back to us."

Kikyo bows back, "I am happy to be of service." Her serene face shows a hint of amusement, "I think that Hona has learned the dangers of going out alone with no real harm done." She watches their joyful reunion with envy and pushes the distracting emotion away before bowing once more and turning away.

"Miko-sama?" Manobu is quick to call after her and she stops, half-turning to look back. Manobu takes a step forward and bows with earnestness, "Won't you stay and accept what hospitality we can offer in way of thanks?"

Kikyo shakes her head with a distant look on her face, "Seeing your happiness to have your daughter home safe is thanks enough."

He looks disappointed but bows his head, respecting her decision and they watch her nod in acknowledgement before turning to walk back towards the forest.

Kikyo is only a few yards away when she halts again, this time by the ominous feeling of something nearby...and getting closer. The familiar pulsing of energy foully corrupted has her pivoting on her heel, her eyes wide and her senses tugging her like a compass in the direction it is coming from. _'A Shikon Shard!'_ The rhythmic emanations are moving swiftly,_ '...towards the village!'_ She begins running back, drawing and nocking an arrow without pausing.

Manobu hears her rapid footsteps and looks back, alarm crossing his face at her armed appearance.

She runs past, saying over her shoulder, "Something dangerous is coming!" Her eyes scan the peaceful looking landscape as she reaches the edge of the village, stopping to turn with a frown towards the Shard's murky energy and still sees nothing. _'Where is it?'_

Her dark eyes widen when she feels the slight tremor under her feet and she gasps, pulling back on the bowstring just before the ground erupts in front of her. Something huge bursts out; blocking the sunlight as it looms over thirty feet above her with a terrible gurgling roar. She stares at the long sinuous form undulating blindly overhead, anchored securely by the tail-end still submerged, that resembles nothing less than a worm and, under its mottled purplish-brown hide that glistens wetly, at the twin-pinpoints of bleakly shining light. _'Two Shards!'_ She aims determinedly at them and lets her arrow fly.

The creature jerks and twists violently to the side causing the blazing arrow to flash harmlessly by.

Kikyo is amazed at how something so big can move so fast and, closing her ears to the terrified screams behind her, draws another arrow and swiftly shoots.

With another jerk, the beast dodges this one as well and slides easily back into the hole, spewing crumbled dirt behind it to seal the hole. She tracks the visible path of the Shards under the earth as the demon-worm passes beneath her heading towards the center of the village, and recalls that it had no eyes_, 'How can it dodge my arrows with no sight?'_ She holds her bow ready as she watches the thing change course to head for the largest concentration of people. _'Does it sense vibrations?'_ Kikyo runs forward, yelling at them to run but she cannot be heard over their panicked cries.

A few of the men are trying to give direction without any signs of organization that only adds to the confusion. Several of the villagers suddenly drop screaming from view as the ground collapses under a tight cluster of frightened people while others claw at the edges of the new hole to keep from following their neighbors. Those still standing scramble to get away and the beast thrusts up through the opening, curving its rippled length to point what must be its head toward a mother trying to drag one child and carrying another. It sucks all three of them into the circular mouth horrifyingly fast, sweeping about to pluck villagers, one by one, into the gaping maw ringed with needle-sharp teeth.

Another arrow speeds across the distance and, as if the creature can sense it coming, it manages to twist out of the arrow's path, the arrow glancing harmlessly off of the slick-looking hide, and yet the beast never halts its grisly harvest. Kikyo firms her mouth and takes aim once more...this time at the lower portion of the beast that is held immobile by the very hole it had created. The arrow slams deep into the creature's flesh, causing it to rear up, writhing and squalling in pain. It swiftly slips back into the hole, blocking it up with dirt.

Disappointed that her arrow didn't kill it, she draws another and readies herself, her eyes following the dark shine of the Shards moving under the ground as the beast burrows downwards until she realizes that it is in retreat. Kikyo lowers her bow and glances at the devastated villagers, the wind teasing her unbound hair, then back towards the invisible pull of the Shards...headed west.

-----------------------------

Sango looks down at the sniggering kitsune seated in front of her on Kirara's back and raises her eyebrows, "Don't you think that's enough?"

Shippo turns his head towards her with a devilish twinkle in his eye and a big grin, "I can't help it." He looks forward over the cat-youkai's ears at the running hanyou just ahead and begins shaking with repressed laughter again.

The Taijiya blows her breath out in a resigned sigh and Miroku, seated behind her, leans closer to be heard over the rush of air. "You can hardly blame him Sango," she hears the smile in his voice, "He is young."

She looks back at him with narrowed eyes and notices his smirk, "Then what's your excuse Houshi-sama?"

He shrugs helplessly and she rolls her eyes to look forward again. _'They're both idiots.' _She shakes her head and says aloud, "Well you two better get it under control before he hears because I won't protect you if he does." The kitsune practically in her lap snorts audibly and she hears a low chuckle from behind and hangs her head, trying to keep her own face straight.

"Sango-chan!" InuYasha has stopped momentarily and Kagome, perched on his back, waves and points to the north before the silver-haired hanyou leaps off in that direction, pushing for more speed.

Sango urges Kirara faster to get closer so they can hear each other and shouts to them, "What is it?"

InuYasha stays focused on his path and Kagome looks up at her friends flying alongside with a concerned expression on her face, "InuYasha can smell another village that's been attacked."

Sango flexes her fingers in Kirara's fur and looks behind her to share a serious look with the now sober Miroku then nods back at Kagome in understanding.

They continue on for a ways until the village in question comes into view and Shippo points excitedly, "The people are alive!" Sango urges Kirara to hurry, trying to keep up with the speeding hanyou.

Two familiar mounds of dirt are prominent in the village proper and the few men that are visibly present turn to face them armed with tools and scavenged weapons, desperation showing on careworn faces. Miroku approaches them with his hand raised peacefully, "We mean you no harm. We came to help."

The man standing foremost lowers his makeshift weapon and motions to his fellows to do the same. He bows briefly, a tired frown marring his face. "I am Manobu, Houshi-sama; head-man of this village." He looks the strange group of people accompanying the Monk and shakes his head. "There is not much to do," he looks down at the ground, his shoulders slumping, "we cannot even bury our dead."

Miroku looks back briefly at his companions and asks, "What happened here?"

Manobu raises his head, the look of horror lingering in his eyes, "A youkai attacked this morning..." he takes a deep breath shaking his head, "it came with no warning." He gestures at a nearby mound, "out of the ground and..."

Sango steps forward, "What kind of youkai was it?"

Manobu looks at the huge boomerang slung over her shoulder, "It looked like a great worm." He looks her hard in the eye, "It ate many of my people Taijiya-san." His free hand closes in a fist, "You will stop it?"

Sango straightens and nods sharply, "We'll do our best."

"Good." He seemed to shrink a bit, sorrow taking over. A woman emerges from the hut a few feet away with a young girl in her arms and tears running down her face. The girl is likewise sobbing, clinging tightly to the woman. Manobu turns and wraps his arms about both of them, saying over his shoulder, "No one else should loose a child like that."

InuYasha looks at each of the mounds and the lack of destruction to the village. A different soil scent, that of grave dirt and bones and is almost overpowered by the creature's signature smell, gets his full attention and he addresses the grieving man, urgency coloring his tone, "What happened to the Miko that was here?"

Kagome stares at the back of the InuYasha's head with wide eyes, the others turning to also look at him in surprise before they all wait for the head-man's answer.

Manobu looks up at the group staring at him and looks concerned. "She drove the beast away and followed it." He frowns meeting each of their eyes in turn, "I offered to go with her but she insisted on going alone." Confusion moves in, "But how-?"

InuYasha cuts him off, "Which way did she go?"

Manobu blinks at his rudeness and raises an arm to point, "West."

InuYasha spins on his heel, "Let's go!"

Kagome rushes after him with Shippo in tow, "InuYasha...!"

Sango and Miroku watch them then glance at each other. Sango bows to Manobu and turns to follow, calling for Kirara.

Miroku hesitates between his duty to comfort these poor people and his need to join his comrades before bowing quickly, "Forgive me, I must go."

The sad little family, which is smaller by one, stands amid their violated home and watches as the unique group leaves...Manobu strangely feeling hope grow.

---------------------------

Please Review!

Thank you - Darkless


	7. Wild Night – Part 1

_Disclaimer – I do not own InuYasha or any of the characters. They are the property of the brilliant Rumiko Takahashi. This story is an individual creation that I hope is up to the quality of the real series._

_Translations:_

_Saku – to bloom_

_Junnen – ten years_

_Mangetsu – full moon_

_Kigakuruu – to go crazy_

_-_

**Chapter Seven: Wild Night – Part 1**

The tree shivers from the vicious punch the frustrated hanyou delivers, "Damn!" Inuyasha looks down, _'All day and no sign...'_ his head comes up as the leaves knocked loose shower over them all, _'Kikyo...please be safe.'_ He sees the sun beginning to dip below the hills and snarls, "I'll go get firewood." He avoids eye contact with the rest of them as he stomps off into the trees.

Miroku gives the fuming Sango a wary look, rubbing the red handprint on his face, and calls out, "That's a good idea!" He turns, "I'll help!" and hastily follows the silver-haired figure.

Sango is still glaring at his retreating back when she hears Kagome sigh. She looks at her glum friend, knowing that InuYasha's lingering bond with Kikyo is what is bothering her friend_. 'It's always this way.'_ Her brief anger disappears and she grabs a broken pine branch to sweep small debris from the best spot to lay the fire. "Shippo," she waits for the kitsune to look up, "why don't you find some stones for around the fire?"

Shippo nods quickly, his bushy tail twitching, and he bounds off into the undergrowth with Kirara close behind.

She looks back at Kagome's unhappy face and continues sweeping, saying softly, "Kagome-chan, do you want to talk?"

Kagome sighs tiredly and drops her pack down before kneeling and digging through the decimated contents. "I just wish he wouldn't get so...so..." her voice trails, unable to explain how lonely and distant she felt from InuYasha whenever Kikyo shows up and thoughts of _her_ monopolize his mind.

Sango sympathizes with a nod, "Ah..."

"I mean; I know he can't help himself," Kagome mused out loud, picking up a crushed ramen container and shaking her head, "but does he have to be so...so obsessed about it?" She tosses the useless thing down and grabs the dented pot by its curved handle. "I'm going to get some water for the tea," and she walks off towards the stream with her head down.

Sango's eyes linger on the Kagome's depressed posture and sighs.

Shippo creeps out from under a bush, also watching the young girl with a frown, "That InuYasha...he's such a moron!"

Sango nods absently and looks down at him, noticing his empty hands, "Couldn't find any stones Shippo?" Her eyebrows rise in suspicion.

He looks up at her with his not-so-innocent bright eyes under the auburn mop of hair and shrugs unapologetically for being caught eavesdropping, "Oops!" He turns and scampers off again.

She rolls her eyes and sighs, "Never a dull moment..."

-------------

Not much later, Sango is watching Kirara play with Shippo a few yards away when she notices the plant Kagome has in her hand and she asks, "Where did you get that?"

Kagome is about to wrap the sprig in a napkin for safekeeping when the query stops her. She looks over at her friend across the ring of stones laid for the fire and holds up the leafy sample, "This?"

Sango nods and quickly moves around to kneel by Kagome's side, taking it from her and examining closely the shape of the leaves and the configuration of the tiny clusters of unopened buds.

Kagome watches with curiosity, "Next to the stream. There's tons of the stuff on the other side."

Sango stands up, still holding the twig, and heads in the direction of the stream. Kagome follows her, "I've never seen it before and I was going to ask Kaede-obachan if she knew what it was." The young woman is moving quickly and Kagome hurries to keep up. "Sango-chan?"

Sango glances at her with a worried frown, "If it's what I think it is..." They arrive at the stream and, in the last light of the setting sun, they can see the wide carpet of the low-growing plant with it's tiny cluster of pale buds contrasted starkly against the dark oval leaves. It apparently covers the sloping ground as far as they can see in the failing light.

The Taijiya drops next to a nearby cluster and stares at it. Kagome squats with her arms wrapped around her raised knees, straining to see what her friend sees and gasps in surprise when the tiny buds pop open as soon as the sun disappears below the horizon. The miniscule petals sparkle attractively and Kagome touches a soft white flower, smiling with delight at the glittering dust clinging to her fingertip. "How pretty."

"Yes it's pretty," Sango grabs her friend's hand and forces it down, wiping the pollen off onto the grass, "and dangerous."

Kagome looks at her finger in alarm, "It's not poisonous is it?"

Sango shakes her head, stands and pulls her up by her hand. "No. It's called 'Saku Junnen Mangetsu' because it only blooms once every 10 years," she looks at her and points up, "and only during a full moon." She takes a deep breath, "but it's also known as 'Youkai Kigakuruu' because the pollen makes youkai go crazy when it blooms.

Kagome glances at the huge glowing orb in the sky as they turn back. "What do we do?"

"We need to get indoors preferably." Sango pauses and looks up at the trees for a few seconds, looking for movement, "At least there is no wind right now." She begins walking again, "There is no telling how many youkai are in the area or how it will effect them." Her thoughts turn inward, "My father told me to expect it this year but I'd forgotten...what with everything..." She goes silent.

Kagome respects her friend's feelings and remains quiet. When they reach camp they begin re-packing everything.

While tying the strings on her backpack, Kagome suddenly stops to look over at Shippo still teasing a playful Kirara with a long weed. "What about them?" She looks at Sango with a worried frown.

"I think they'll be alright. Supposedly the smaller the youkai, the less the effect it has...most likely only making them sleep. It's the larger and more dangerous youkai we need to be worried about" She looks over at the two, happily romping with youthful bliss. "I'll try to keep Kirara from transforming...but I'd feel better if we could find shelter."

A sudden thought has Kagome reaching for her friend's hand and gaining her attention. "What about InuYasha?"

Sango turns to pick up the roll of combined blankets tied together and pulls the strap over her head, settling it comfortably, "I don't know." She moves to a nearby tree where her weapon is propped, "Maybe it won't effect him because he's hanyou..." her voice trails off with her uncertainty and she sighs with a shrug and slings the huge boomerang over her shoulder. "I just don't know." She grabs the Monk's staff also leaning against the tree, "We need to find the others and get as far away from here as we can."

Shippo bounds over and stops to look around at the hastily denuded campsite. "Huh?" He notices Kagome shifting her pack onto her back, "We're not staying?"

Kagome shakes her head and picks him up, "It's not a good spot after all." She shares a glance with Sango who opens her arms for Kirara and nods in agreement before turning towards the trees. "Lets go."

-----------------

Miroku lays another stick on his armful with a feeling of satisfaction and looks up at the darkening sky through the branches overhead. "We should head back," he turns toward the hanyou with silvery-white hair who is carrying the larger pieces of wood for the fire, "I think we have enough for the night and it's getting dark."

InuYasha snaps another stick by standing on it and forcing it to break with his free hand. "Heh...always stating the obvious." His ears twitch and his head whips around, dumping his load of wood on the ground and barely missing the Monk's feet.

"Hey!" Miroku jumps back.

InuYasha flexes his claws, "Kagome!" He leaps off towards the sound of her voice.

Miroku barely hesitates before dropping his pile too and following at a run.

------------------

Kagome cups her free hand to her mouth and calls for InuYasha while Sango stares around the clearing they had stopped in, not sure of which direction to take from here to find their companions. The two girls look at each other and shrug. Kagome takes a deep breath to call once more just as the speeding hanyou comes crashing through the foliage.

"Kagome!" He stops with a puzzled frown and looks around the quiet clearing that is brightly lit by the full moon, then back at the two young women that begin walking over. A rustling sound behind him heralds the breathless Monk's arrival. InuYasha's scowl deepens, "What's all the yelling about?"

Kagome grabs his sleeve, worry making her frown, "We need to get away from here and find shelter."

InuYasha looks up at the clear sky filled with twinkling stars and not one cloud while Miroku brushes dead leaves from his shoulder and accepts his staff from Sango. They both ask, "Why?"

After Sango quickly explains, Miroku looks thoughtfully from the wide-eyed Shippo to the tiny Kirara in concern then back at the young woman, "What can we do?"

"Try to find shelter from the air-borne pollen." With that she turns to lead them in the opposite direction of the danger.

InuYasha eventually notices the frowning look that Miroku is giving him and snarls disagreeably, "What is that look for Bouzu?"

The Monk sighs, "InuYasha, even you must realize that this effects you too."

InuYasha snorts and continues following the trail-blazing Taijiya with a pensive look on his face. Miroku raises his voice, "Sango, will the pollen effect hanyou as well?" InuYasha shoots him a dirty look that he deliberately ignores.

She glances back at them briefly, "I don't know. The subject never came up." She faces forward, ducking under a low branch. "I barely remember the last time it happened. Taijiya make it a practice to burn the plants whenever they are found, so the area around our village was safe enough but we were all told to stay indoors during the blooming. The swarms of mindlessly rampaging youkai are more dangerous than usual under the pollen's influence." She stroked the twin-tailed cat cradled in her arms and quickened her pace, worried at the slight breeze that had just appeared and seemed to be gaining strength. "We can't ride Kirara. It's best if she stays small...just in case."

Kagome had been pondering that and speaks up, "Maybe that's because smaller youkai inhale less pollen, making the effects less severe."

"You may be right." Sango stops, _'inhale...?'_ and reaches into an inner pocket, turns and holds her facemask out to InuYasha. He looks at it in surprise and she says, "If it effects you..." she pushes it into his hand, "...it could be bad."

He stares at her speechlessly, then his eyes slide toward Kagome. She is watching him in concern and pushing her wind-blown hair back out of her face. He sighs and ties the mask over his face, not liking but tolerating the way it feels.

Sango nods at him in satisfaction and resumes leading the little group toward the steep hills they had passed earlier that day as they had traveled deep into unsettled territory. _'Maybe there is a cave or something...'_ She looks up when her hair is pushed over her shoulder from behind, _'Oh no...the wind is changing direction.' _She waves at the others to hurry. They travel fairly easily by the moonlight, avoiding the darker paths under the trees and the wind steadily increases, pushing them forward.

A loud roaring behind them makes them all turn to see a huge fur-covered form with a beaked face come crashing out of the trees, slamming to the ground as it struggles with an enormous serpentine-youkai wrapped around it. The wide, lidless eyes of the bear-like creature flash wildly as it tries to break the deadly embrace of it's opponent. They tumble over and over, the serpent's head held firmly between the claws of the other.

There is barely time to get out of the way; Miroku and Sango diving to one side and InuYasha scooping up the open-mouthed schoolgirl and whisking her to safety on the other. She huddles protectively over Shippo's small frame even as she is held close to InuYasha's warm chest. He sets her down a good distance away with his eyes fixed on the nearby battle and snarls, "That's enough of that!" His voice is muffled behind the Taijiya's mask and he leaps into the fray.

She yells after him, "We don't have time for..." Kagome watches him land a blow on the serpent's head in greeting before looking down at Shippo, "He didn't hear..." She frowns as she notices the kitsune's closed eyes and his unnatural stillness. She gasps and gives him a little shake. "Shippo?!"

His eyes blink sleepily up at her and he mumbles something incoherent before snuggling closer and going limp again, one tiny hand holding tightly to her shirt.

'_He's sleeping.'_ Her anxiety lessens but comes back in full force as she looks over at the three-way-battle cutting her off from her human companions. Her eyes widen and her arms tighten around her young charge, quickly ducking behind a rather large tree as the enormously long serpentine body goes sailing past to hit yet another tree, halting its sinuous form painfully, the impact snapping the tree in two.

Kagome sets the sleeping Shippo down amid the tree roots, drops her pack and reaches for the bow tucked under a flap as the serpent shakes itself and rises up. She aims her hastily placed arrow, it's glow attracting the reptilian's attention. The creature's eyes gleam malevolently – she pulls back on the string – the wooden curve in her hand snaps and the upper half falls to the ground!

Kagome looks at the splintered end in shock then up in horror at the snarling youkai with its fanged mouth open wide--and its sights fixed on her!

-----------------------------

Please Review!

Thanks - Darkless


	8. Wild Night Part 2

_Disclaimer – I do not own InuYasha or any of the characters. They are the property of the brilliant Rumiko Takahashi. This story is an individual creation that I hope is up to the quality of the real series._

_AN – Remember how I said before that I'm not in charge of the story...that I'm only narrating? Well...the characters took over again. It was supposed to be funny...I _wanted_ it to be funny. Apparently, they had something else in mind...so don't blame me for this one. Sigh..._

**Chapter Eight: Wild Night – Part 2**

Kagome drops the useless bow, swoops up the oblivious kitsune and rolls out of the way just as the youkai lunges. It misses her and rams its abused head into the tree above her with a groan. Kagome rolls to a stop, glances back while she gets up with her burden and begins running, looking desperately for another hiding place.

The snake-youkai shakes itself and looks for its two-legged target, hissing and lurching forward when it spots her running form.

She hears the sputtering hiss over the intermittent wind and looks back automatically causing her to trip. She curls protectively around Shippo, twisting to land on her side and turns her head to stare up at the youkai suddenly looming over her. Paralyzed by fear, her eyes widen at the almost comical look of surprise on its reptilian face as Sango's Hiraikotsu severs its neck, the pieces falling to either side and the spurting blood showering over her.

Kagome sits up and looks in the direction the boomerang had come from and waves an arm in thanks to the quick Taijiya. Sango nods briefly before catching the spinning weapon upon its return in her free hand, still holding the tiny cat in the other.

Kagome sighs in short-lived relief as the combat moves dangerously close to where she is. But before she can move, InuYasha goes flying back from a sweeping backhanded blow from one enormous paw. She watches him flip over in mid-air and land on his feet, skidding back a few feet before grinning and taking a running leap onto the creature's back. She gasps in realization, _'The mask...!'_

'..._is gone!'_ Sango turns, "Houshi-sama!" She hands him the cat and points at the hanyou still perched on the youkai's back, punching repeatedly at the frenzied creature's head, well out of reach of that lethal-looking beak. The Monk immediately sees and nods at her, backing away.

Sango grips her weapon with both hands and spins, swinging it completely around in increasingly faster circles to give it extra power before releasing it. The boomerang is a pale blur as it hurtles across the distance and neatly slices through both of the youkai's hind legs. The beast topples, waiving its remaining limbs in panic and bellowing out its rage.

InuYasha jumps clear just before it slams into the dirt. He straightens and stares at the desperate thrashing of the doomed creature with blood gushing from its gaping wounds. He spares a frowning glance for the young woman as she catches the huge boomerang before bracing himself and swiftly slashing with widespread claws at the howling youkai, yelling, "Sankontessou!" Blades of force slam into and tear the beast to pieces. "Damnit!" He snarls and turns irately towards the Taijiya to yell, "What the hell do you think you're doing?!" He points to the scattered remains, "That was _MY_ kill!"

Sango's mouth drops open and Miroku steps forward and exclaims angrily back at him, "What are you talking about?! You were taking too long!" He continues to walk closer with Sango close behind him. He shakes his head in exasperation, "Why didn't you use Tessaiga?"

InuYasha looks taken aback and places a hand on the sheathed sword at his side, then shakes his head and says belligerently, "On that weak thing? Keh!! I didn't need to Bouzu!"

Sango recovers from her shock and shows her irritation. "How can you be so careless?! In case you hadn't noticed," she points at the scattered bits of youkai, "while you were 'playing' with this one," she then points to the other side of the battle-ravaged clearing at the young girl still holding the kitsune protectively. "-The other one almost killed Kagome and Shippo!"

InuYasha is shocked and whips his head around to see the decapitated reptile lying near the dark-haired girl, her shirt showing brightly among the shadows. He watches her reach up to push her windblown hair back, _'Kagome...'_ and he is suddenly in motion to rush over there.

Sango is only slightly relieved at his response and turns to Miroku, "Houshi-sama, help me find the mask." She sighs and starts scanning the ground along with the Monk.

InuYasha stops in front of Kagome and places his hands on her shoulders where he can feel her trembling. Her appearance is quite disheveled; dead leaves in her tangled hair and clothing stained with dirt, grass and blood_. 'Not her own, thank the gods!'_ He touches a rip in her sleeve then brushes gently at the tiny scrape on her chin, _'What was I thinking?'_ He plucks a leaf from her hair and crushes it in his fist.

"Are you all right?" He looks her in the eye as she nods and notices the motionless kitsune in her arms, feeling dread steal over him, "Shippo..." he whispers.

Kagome hugs Shippo closer and is quick to reassure with a shake of her head, "No - It's ok InuYasha." She looks down at the peaceful face briefly, "He's only asleep." She gives InuYasha a tiny smile, "it's because of the pollen..." she pauses and looks at him with concern, freeing one hand to touch his face, "You lost Sango's mask."

A particularly strong gust of wind flings strands of hair across her face and she pushes it impatiently behind her ear then reaches out to grab his arm, "We need to find it and get it back on you."

He resists her pulling and takes hold of her hand in both of his, "I feel fine."

She looks up at him and is caught by the odd look in his golden eyes, "Inu...Yasha?" Her whisper is full of confusion and she watches him raise her hand back to his face, turning it over to smell the inside of her wrist. Startled, she yanks her hand back and wraps her arm back around Shippo's warm body. "What are you...?"

The intense look in his eye holds her frozen as he reaches up to capture her face between his hands. She can't look away as he moves closer, his luminous gaze holding hers; he seems to be memorizing her every feature. He says her name softly under his breath with such deep feeling that she forgets to breathe and her heart trips over itself to pound almost painfully against its cage of flesh and bone.

His hands move back down to her shoulders and he leans down to bury his face against the place where her neck and shoulder meet, inhaling deeply while moving up the side of her neck and into her hair, causing her to gasp and tremble in reaction. Before she can gather her scattered thoughts, he shifts and repeats the action up the other side of her neck, his warm breath tickling her left ear as he proceeds to explore it.

Kagome gasps again, eyelids fluttering and knees going weak, _'...what...?'_ Her legs wobble and his hands shift from her shoulders to her waist to support her. His hands tighten and the warm brush of his breath moves downward, _'...why...?'_ but she is unprepared for the searing touch of his open mouth on the sensitive skin of her neck. Her eyes open wide, staring blindly up at the brilliant stars wheeling around the moon. _'I can't...'_ A shuddering rush of air finally fills her lungs as the shocking heat from his mouth on her neck travels like lightning through her body and jolts her senses to full awareness with more than a little fear.

Her mind is a jumble of chaos and confusion save for one thought, _'...this is not right.'_ Kagome wriggles one arm loose from around the oblivious kitsune and pushes against InuYasha's shoulder, "InuYasha..." she grunts and pushes harder, "Let me...go!" Suddenly free, she steps back out of his reach and takes several much needed breaths, not taking her eyes off of the dazed-looking hanyou. _'Is this...the pollen...?'_ Her heartbeat is still pounding and her mouth is dry making speech difficult. The air is cold on her damp skin where his mouth had been and she covers it with her hand in embarrassment.

She watches him stare at her with unfocused eyes, unsure of what to do. "InuYasha?" His eyes suddenly blaze and he steps forward, reaching for her. Kagome feels her heart skip a beat and puts one hand out in protest, "No!" He hesitates and the dazed look returns. She heaves a sigh of relief, _'Oh boy...'_

"Kagome-chan!"

The Monk and Taijiya approach from behind InuYasha and Kagome takes a step to the side to see them better. _'How much did they see...?' _She gulps in embarrassment and nods at them.

Sango holds up her found mask, "Are you all right?"

Kagome nods again, not trusting her voice just yet and takes another step sideways, nervously watching InuYasha. His slight swaying is barely noticeable but she is staring too hard not to see.

Sango is trying to figure out the strange look on Kagome's face as she moves closer, "Are you sure?"

Kagome nods rapidly and takes another sliding step to the side, her eyes still glued apprehensively on InuYasha.

Sango frowns and looks from the nervous looking girl to the distracted hanyou and back again. _'Something isn't right...'_ She holds out the mask towards him, "InuYasha?" When he doesn't answer or turn, she glances over at Kagome who shrugs uncomfortably.

Miroku watches this silently, with the tiny Kirara in the crook of his arm purring and kneading his sleeve. He steps around to the other side, trying to get a better look at the hanyou's face and finding it difficult through all that white hair blowing across it. He finally catches a glimpse of dazed eyes and looks at Sango, "I think that—"

InuYasha stiffens and snarls at the sound of a male voice, turning on the startled Monk with claws spread and fangs bared, "She's _Mine_!"

Miroku backs away from the angry creature advancing on him and looks quickly at the two women watching in shock, raising his staff crosswise in front of him defensively, "Wait just a minute! What are you-?" InuYasha cuts him off with a deep snarl in his throat and stepping forward in advance with one clawed hand raised.

Kagome shakes herself and does the only thing she could think of, "Osuwari!" InuYasha slams into the ground face first and she bites her lip with a frown, looking over at Sango.

The Taijiya sighs and reaches for a small container secreted away in a pocket, "I was hoping I wouldn't have to do this." She lays Hiraikotsu down and moves quickly to kneel in front of InuYasha before he can fully recover as he groans and pushes himself up. "InuYasha?" She sees the unfocused look in his eyes and smashes the stink pellet against the container, holding it up to his face. He gets a lung-full and chokes, flinging an arm across his face with a grimace and throwing himself backward.

Sango stands, putting the container away and picks up her boomerang. Kagome is staring guiltily down at the gasping and groaning InuYasha. She looks up at Sango, "What do we do now?"

Miroku sighs and hands Kirara back to Sango, handing her his staff as well, "Not much choice - is there? He retrieves the discarded mask and props the incapacitated hanyou up to tie it back over his face, "Just in case..." and then heaves the limp form over his shoulder with a grunt.

He looks at Sango with a nod, "Lead on."

-------------------

Miroku slaps another ofuda on the rock sides of the cave entrance, "There; that should keep out any youkai." He re-enters their dark shelter lit by a few small candles stuck in rough niches on the walls.

Sango watches him tiredly, "I just wish it could keep out the pollen." She looks down at the tiny Kirara lying limply in her lap and strokes the soft cream-colored fur.

He stands over her for a few seconds, rotating his strained shoulder and looking over at the others pensively, "Maybe we should tie InuYasha u—"

"No!" Kagome looks up in alarm shaking her head. "No..." her voice drops and she looks down at the softly groaning hanyou lying next to her, "I won't do that." An image of him bound in chains and helpless is still too fresh in her mind and she shakes her head again, gently stroking the silvery hair of his forehead, "I couldn't."

Miroku slowly nods, "Do you want me to take Shippo?"

Kagome shakes her head in the negative, looking down at the blissfully sleeping kitsune in her lap, "He's fine."

Sango watches him twist his shoulder again and notes his slight wince, "Houshi-sama." She pats the ground next to her and he quickly sits, never one to waste an opportunity to be near the beautiful young woman. She catches the gleam in his eye and gives him a mildly disgusted look, "Oh, no you don't," pushing him around to face away from her and grabbing his arm. "I'm only going to massage your shoulder," she digs her fingers into the abused muscle, adding, "and nothing else."

The thought of what that 'else' could be has him smiling and he shamelessly leans into the rare treat. "Ah...Sango...to receive your tender touch," he grunts painfully at a particularly hard probe, "...is all that I could ask for."

She flushes at his sing-song voice and pushes him away, "Go on with you!"

He twists around and grabs her hand in both of his, giving her a lazy smile, "With you?" He flattens her hand against his beating heart, "...anywhere!"

She can feel her face burning and she yanks her hand back, "Can't you be serious?!" She glances over at the wide-eyed Kagome and blushes even more. Sango raises her fist and waves in his face, "Houshi-sama..." her tone is clearly a warning.

He puts up both hands defensively though he is still smiling, "Now Sango..."

Kagome looks away with a tiny smile and tunes out the playful bickering of her friends, her smile fading at InuYasha's muffled groan. She sighs and lays her hand on his shoulder to let him know she's there. He frowns and his hand comes up to grasp hers. She sees his eyes open to squint up at her, "Kagome...?"

She can barely hear the whisper behind the mask and leans warily closer, "InuYasha?"

He blinks and tries to focus, "...I'm sorry."

Kagome relaxes with a smile and squeezes his hand, "It's all right."

"I don't...I..." His bleary eyes swing to her, "Are you...?"

She is quick to reassure him, "I'm fine; you didn't hurt anybody."

He sighs and his eyes close, "...dizzy."

"Just rest," she feels him squeeze her hand and she squeezes back, "I'm right here."

After a few minutes of listening to his quiet groans, Kagome leans back against the cave wall tiredly, staring at nothing. She thinks back over the day, putting her other hand over the spot on her neck where she can still remember the feel of his mouth and shivers.

The blowing wind outside occasionally sends gusts swirling around the cave causing the candles to flicker unsteadily, snuffing the one closest to the entrance, and cries of youkai echo in the darkness beyond the dark opening making sleep impossible.

Conversation between the Monk and Taijiya has dropped below Kagome's hearing and she rubs tiredly at her eyes. _'A long day...and it looks like it's gonna be a long night.'_ She presses her fingertips hard against her forehead; the pressure feeling good and easing the slight tension across her brow. _'Wait...'_ she looks up unseeing while focusing her inner senses, _'...something...'_ and frowns, turning her head towards the back of the cave. The pulsing grows stronger and she finally recognizes it, "A Shard!"

The two quietly conversing turn as one to look at her, Miroku leaning forward and grabbing his staff, "Kagome-sama?"

She turns to look at them, "There's a Shard nearby..." She looks back at the dark recesses of the cave, "that way...and getting closer."

He stands and helps Sango up. They move closer to the girl and hanyou to stare at the unexplored darkness. Miroku frowns and looks at Sango, "What do you think?"

Sango is staring hard at the blackness as if straining would reveal all. "We should check it out." She looks down at Kirara in her arms then down at the sleeping Shippo and incapacitated InuYasha, "But..."

Kagome holds out her arm, "Give her to me," her eyes are clear with her decision, "I'll stay here with them."

Sango reluctantly hands the tiny twin-tailed cat to her friend, "I don't like it. You don't have a weapon and InuYasha is practically useless right now."

A bleary golden eye squints up at the disparaging Taijiya, "Who's...useless?" His voice is raspy and he tries to sit up. Kagome easily pushes him flat again.

Miroku thinks of the broken bow and reaches into an inner pocket to pull out a handful of paper strips with black writing, bowing his head over them for a few seconds before handing them to the schoolgirl, "You should be able to use these."

Kagome takes the ofudas and nods, adding, "I can also use Tessaiga if I have to...it's still a sword." She ignores the scoffing sound coming from her left.

Sango looks worriedly at the four they are planning on leaving behind and sighs, "We will be back as soon as we can."

Kagome nods with a cheerful smile, "We'll be fine. Besides," she jerks her head at the cave entrance, "Miroku-sama's wards will keep anything out that way."

Sango looks away and straightens her shoulders, "Let's go, Houshi-sama."

The two disappear into the darkness with the borrowed flashlight to guide them.

InuYasha grunts and forces himself to a sitting position, "Damnit..." He drops his spinning head into his hands and groans.

Kagome grabs his arm, "You need to rest-"

He yanks out of her hold distemperedly, "I'm Fine!" He rests his elbows on the knees of his crossed legs, hunched over and leaning heavily on them, "I don't need protecting by a-"

"Don't you dare say it!" Her indignation has her glaring at his bowed head. "What's wrong with letting someone else take care of you for a change?"

He turns his head and glares back at her through narrowed eyes over the mask, "Keh!" He glances at the entrance and his eyes widen in shock.

Kagome swiftly turns and feels her jaw drop in surprise, "...Kikyo!"

-----------------------------

Please Review!

Thanks – Darkless

--------


	9. Wild Night – Part 3

_**Disclaimer** – I do not own InuYasha or any of the characters. They are the property of the brilliant Rumiko Takahashi. This story is an individual creation that I hope is up to the quality of the real series._

_**To: ainominako** – I'm sorry to disappoint you but I'm comfortable with this writing style; I feel that it moves the story faster. I tried "past tense" and I was not happy with it. I personally have a problem reading stories in the "first person point of view" and I totally sympathize with you. Thank you for your review._

_**To: ShortPoet** – You got it right on the nose! I was actually planning on a different more funny direction, but as I have said before, "The characters take over in spite of any outline I have" and I kinda shocked myself with that scene. The original draft actually had to be toned down and upon cleaning up the dialogue, Kagome just did what came naturally. I have a lot of faith in the characters. They know what to do...I'm just plopping them down in a situation and narrating the outcome. Thanks ever so much!_

**Chapter Nine: Wild Night – Part 3**

The gusting wind blows Kikyo's unbound hair over her shoulder as she passes easily through the Monk's warding, detracting nothing from her regal bearing. The pale Miko's dark eyes sweep the candlelit cave, passing indifferently over the girl with her sleeping charges and stopping on InuYasha's masked face.

She walks forward and the unsteady hanyou pushes himself to his feet, leaning heavily against the wall, "Kikyo, why...?"

She halts in front of him, glancing at the slight tremble of the hand braced on the cave wall before meeting his intense stare. "Probably the same reason you're here."

Feeling forgotten, Kagome blinks up at them and makes the connection, "The Shikon Shard." She refuses to flinch when Kikyo's dark gaze falls on her, "The creature that attacked the village has a Shard."

Kikyo's expression remains blank as she stares at her incarnation from the future and corrects her, "Two Shards."

InuYasha's eyes widen and Kikyo looks at him once more before stepping around him towards the back of the cave. He puts out a restraining hand, "Kikyo, wait."

She half-turns back to face him, "I can assume your friends have gone after the beast?" Kikyo raises a single eyebrow and he releases her. She looks from one to the other, "They will find it difficult to defeat. It can move very fast despite its size."

InuYasha flexes his hand, "I'll go with you."

Kikyo looks pointedly at the girl sitting on the dirt floor burdened with two defenseless youkai sleeping unnaturally on her lap then back to his visibly shaky hand.

He clenches it into a tight fist under her knowing perusal and she continues to gaze at him until he looks up, returning her stare. After a few tense-filled moments, she turns and walks into the darkness without him.

Kagome watches him plop back down, catching a glimpse of the despondent look in his eyes before they're hidden behind his wild hair. _'He needs to go...'_ she feels the sour ache of jealousy and pushes her own selfish feelings aside_. 'There must be a way...'_ She frowns, knowing he won't leave her unprotected, and looks around the cave, thinking furiously. Her eyes land on her yellow backpack and she grabs it, pulling it to her. "Ah!"

InuYasha hears the clatter of things hitting the dirt and turns to see her shaking the up-ended pack; its contents scattered on the ground. He frowns in confusion, "What are you doing?"

"I have an idea." Kagome gives the pack a few more good shakes to make sure it's empty before setting it down and propping it upright, widening the mouth as far as it will go. She gently lifts Shippo from her lap and lays him inside the bag, placing the tiny Kirara into the snug canvas nest too. Pulling on the strings until the opening is mostly closed and tying it, she leaves the flap loose and carefully slips the straps over her shoulders.

InuYasha's eyes are wide as the girl stands up, grabs a candle from its niche and gives him a determined smile. "Let's go, InuYasha."

---------------------

The natural passage that slopes faithfully downwards is rough and often narrow in spots, catching at the Monk's robes. _'At least there are no side tunnels to get lost in...so far.' _He yanks the material free again and tries to stay close behind Sango. The beam of light from the metal cylinder is reflected off the damp walls making their cramped journey easier.

But the shifting shadows are misleading and he trips, bumping hard into the young woman's back and causing her to drop the flashlight. All three hit the uneven floor – there is the sound of breaking glass and it goes dark.

"Houshi-sama...?"

"Sango?"

"Get – oof – off of me!" Her hiss carries a warning, "And that had better be your staff!" She sighs as the offending object is removed. "Never mind; I don't want to know." She pushes up from the floor and crawls forward to search for Kagome's flashlight. Her hand locates the cold metal instrument and she flicks the switch back and forth. Nothing. She slumps with another sigh, "Now what do we do?" The blackness is smothering and she puts a hand on the wall to stand.

The rings on the staff chime softly, seeming loud in the close confines of the tunnel. "I'm sorry, Sango." He blinks and frowns, "Wait..." his eyes adjust slowly to the darkness, "is that light?"

A faint greenish light is slowly making itself known, barely tingeing the craggy surface of the walls from around a curve up ahead. Sango hangs the useless flashlight on her belt and they walk carefully forward. The welcome light steadily grows the closer they come to its source, the greenish tint deepening as well.

After one last sharp bend, the passage ends high on the wall of a huge underground cavern filled with the conical shapes of stone reaching upwards toward similar counterparts that hang from the shadowed ceiling. The sound of dripping water is louder here but is accompanied by a grating noise from the shifting of the massively long worm curled around a glowing pile of spheres as it raises its head. This is the source of the green light; thousands of—

"-Eggs!" Sango swiftly crouches behind a craggy protrusion, pulling the Monk down next to her and whispers in his ear, "Those are eggs!"

He peeks around their rocky shield and his eyes widen, "So many." He turns to her and frowns at his right hand, "If only there wasn't a Shard to worry about."

She wraps her free hand around his right with a nod, "We can do it without your Kazaana."

"It won't be as easy as you think Taijiya."

They both turn to look behind them in surprise at that softly spoken comment. Miroku is the first to speak, "Kikyo-sama! What are you-?"

Kikyo's expressionless eyes capture his and his voice stills. She looks back to Sango, "The creature has two Shards and is wickedly swift," a glance towards the cavern then back at her audience of two, "It can sense vibrations better than most can see." She draws an arrow and nocks it, "It escaped me once." Her voice turns hard as she addresses Sango directly, "It already knows we're here...so what are you waiting for Taijiya?" She quirks an eyebrow derisively, "Afraid?"

Sango stands in affront, gripping the straps of her boomerang tightly, and turns her back on the disdainful Miko. "That thing can't dodge all three of us," she gives a determined look over her shoulder, "so shoot your arrows...we'll do our part." She leaps over the edge to slide down the uneven slope, "Houshi-sama!"

Miroku spares Kikyo only a frowning glance while reaching into his robes for the paper strips he carries before following the dark-clad woman already halfway to the cavern floor.

---------------------

Kagome shields her eyes from the direct candle flame and looks back at the stubborn hanyou following her, too proud to accept help from her and using the damp tunnel walls to stay upright. _'He's always pushing himself.'_ His breathing is loud and she continues forward before he can give her another glare for stopping. The moisture weighing down the air visibly coats the rough walls, reflecting the dancing light in her hands and she steps carefully over the twisting shadows having tripped a few times already. The invisible tug of the Shards grows stronger with each step, pulsing and distracting, creating worry for their friends ahead of them. It would be easier to concentrate on her footing if she could block it out but that wasn't really an option. She sighs and tries to keep her divided attention in balance.

Distant crashes and shouts slowly supplant the faint sound of dripping water, urging them to move quicker through the twisting passage. They finally reach the opening, stumbling through and looking down at the chaos of battle on the cavern's floor. Kagome gasps at the size of their foe and InuYasha braces himself on the craggy outcropping to catch his breath.

Hiraikotsu is deflected off of the deceptively hard side of the worm, leaving only a shallow gash, as it writhes in pain from the stinging ofudas clinging to it. Miroku dashes in close, dodging the thrusting tail tipped with a sharp stinger, and whacks it away with his staff. A blazing arrow slams into the worm, burying itself deep into supple flesh and burning a disappointedly small portion of purplish hide.

Kikyo is standing on a lower ledge with a clear view of the cavern and draws another arrow. She pulls back on the string and aims past the young woman who catches the giant boomerang. "How strong is this thing? I--" her eyes widen in surprise and she turns, "-what?"

Sango grits her teeth and heaves Hiraikotsu back into the air – straight at the ceiling, "Dodge this!" The boomerang slices through the cluster of stalactites over the worm. They come crashing down, showering the creature with the pointed missiles. She catches the weapon upon its return with a feral grin, not seeing the Monk running towards her.

Kagome sees the second worm-youkai, even larger than the first and with two more Shards glowing in its back, as it bursts through an unseen opening below her perch at the same time that Miroku sees it. The creature hones in on the Taijiya as she catches Hiraikotsu and jerks forward to strike. She gasps as the Monk furiously races the beast for the heedless young woman.

"SANGO!!"

Sango begins to turn her head in response to Miroku's cry when she is slammed hard from behind and thrown forward, tumbling uncontrollably over the rough surface from the force of the blow with her boomerang bouncing alongside.

"MIROKU!!" InuYasha, adrenaline and anger burning away any lingering haze, draws Tessaiga and leaps down onto the second worm. "DAMN YOU!!"

Sango twists to sit up, looking back at the second worm with its head planted on the spot she had just been and scrambles to her feet. She sees the boomerang out of the corner of her eye and grabs it just as InuYasha buries his sword into the thing's back. She raises her weapon and steps back, glancing around quickly, "Houshi-sama?" She looks at the sluggish movements of the first worm then back at the new threat. No familiar figure in purple and black.

Three quick successive arrows fly over her head to impact into the first worm, ending its writhing. She looks up at the Miko and feels little gratitude for her proficiency before turning back to the battle between the enraged hanyou and worm-youkai with a concerned frown for the missing Monk. "Houshi-sama!?" She feels a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach and a strangling in her throat, reducing her voice to a whisper, "Houshi-sama...?" She continues to back away from the fight, looking left and right. "...No..." she grits her teeth and shakes her head in denial, raising her weapon. _'Damn you...'_ She blinks back tears and heaves the boomerang at the worm's head. _'Damn you Houshi!'_

InuYasha yanks his sword loose and jumps upward to attack closer to the worm's head. The creature twists out of the boomerang's path and slams into the descending hanyou, knocking him head over heels to crash through a stand of stalagmites. He lurches out of the rubble and runs forward. Two arrows fly past him towards the worm but only one hits the twisting worm. He skids to a stop and swings Tessaiga, screaming furiously, "Kaze no Kizu!" The sword's magic is released, rushing toward the youkai, tearing across the distance and over the beast's mottled hide. The worm gurgles and writhes in agony, its spiked tail thrashing and crushing more stalagmites into dust. The bombardment of energy slowly dissipates but the worm still lives.

InuYasha grips Tessaiga with both hands and rushes forward, eyes blazing gold in determination over the mask. Two more arrows follow him in and Hiraikotsu makes a dent in the creature's head. He parries the vicious thrust of the worm's tail, twisting his blade and slicing through it, removing the deadly stinger and, spinning about, he buries the blade deep. He rips it upward with a shout, tearing a long gash in the creature's side. He leaps back to avoid the spew of gore and changes direction, heading for the creature's head. Hiraikotsu thuds and sticks in the beast's hide that sprouts another blazing arrow. InuYasha flings himself forward and swings mightily, Tessaiga biting deep and almost severing the worm in half. The creature gives one last raspy gurgle and grows still.

InuYasha steps back, holding Tessaiga ready and breathing deeply. When there is no movement he lowers the tip and hangs his head, "...Damn."

From her place above, Kagome watches Sango step forward to yank the boomerang free and blinks back tears. _'Miroku-sama.'_ The image of the Monk disappearing into the worm's mouth still burns in her mind. She drops to her knees on the rough ground, grief at the loss of her friend overwhelming her. A moment later, the scrape of a footfall gets her attention and she looks up at the approaching Miko.

Kikyo stops on the ledge outside the opening of the passageway and looks down with agonizing intensity at her young incarnation kneeling at her feet for a few seconds before turning away.

"Kikyo?" Shocked out of her own grief by the similar emotion blazing from the other woman, Kagome wipes her eyes and stands, "You're leaving? Don't you want to see-?"

Kikyo hesitates and, without looking at the young girl, says in an emotionless voice, "I'm through here." A quick glance of dark eyes in a pale face over a proud shoulder, "I'll leave the Shards to you." She walks through the black opening and her voice softly echoes from the darkness, "For now."

Kagome frowns in confusion, _'...for now?'_ She stares at the dark opening for a few seconds before turning to make her way carefully down to the cavern floor where her remaining friends wait.

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Please Review!

Thank You - Darkless


	10. Brief Lament and Swift Justice

_**Disclaimer** – I do not own InuYasha or any of the characters. They are the property of the brilliant Rumiko Takahashi. This story is an individual creation that I hope is up to the quality of the real series._

**Chapter Ten: Brief Lament and Swift Justice**

Kagome hangs onto the straps of her yellow backpack that contains the precious cargo of two sleeping companions as she slides the rest of the way to the debris littered floor. It is her job to retrieve the Shards of the Shikon no Tama from the decimated youkai corpses as she is the only one who can see where they are embedded and she sniffs back the tears.

Sango barely notices Kagome passing her and doesn't acknowledge her presence, lost in her own tortured thoughts. _'Damn...reckless...perverted...'_ her head falls forward and she squeezes her eyes shut against the tears, _'...Stupid Monk!'_

InuYasha leans on Tessaiga resting point down on the ground and frowns morosely over the Taijiya's mask at the motionless worm responsible for the loss of... He bows his head and his dog-like ears droop. _'...A friend.'_

Kagome approaches the spot closest to the Shards shining darkly under the worm's skin and jumps back with a frightened gasp as the flesh ripples.

Inuyasha's head and sword come up. He's there in an instant; grabbing her around the waist with his free hand to pull her back while swinging Tessaiga around in defense.

Sango raises Hiraikotsu and braces herself, "It's not dead?!"

The worm twitches and a section begins to bulge, swelling until it bursts from the inside out, spilling the beslimed and gasping Monk onto the ground. He has ofudas stuck to himself in various places and his staff gripped tightly in his left hand. He coughs and pushes up onto his hands and knees, spitting to clear his mouth, "UGH!" He looks up at his companions staring back at him, "I thought I was going to die!"

Kagome closes her mouth and grips InuYasha's arm, "Miroku-sama!"

Miroku stands up, pulling away damp scraps of paper and brushing at the slime on his face. He grimaces, shaking the goo off his hand, then gives her a crooked smile.

"Houshi-sama..."

He turns toward the soft sound and watches Sango drop the boomerang before slowly stepping closer, her head down and eyes hidden. He frowns uncertainly, "Sango?"

She stops in front of him and raises her tear-filled eyes to his. She tenses her jaw and flings her arms around his neck tight enough to choke him, uncaring of his sodden condition. "Houshi-sama!"

He drops the staff and wraps his arms around her automatically, his eyebrows rising in surprise at her unusual display of emotion. He barely has time to enjoy the sensation of her arms around him before she surprises him again by pushing away and punching him in the shoulder. Hard.

He staggers back, holding a hand to the abused body part. "Sango?"

She wipes her arm across her eyes and glares stormily at him, "BAKA!"

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The afternoon sunlight streams in through the cave entrance with the ofuda barrier still up. Though the night is over the pollen is still a concern until the wind stops blowing it around or it rains; whichever comes first. The two tiny sleepers nearby on her sleeping bag are a good indicator of the pollen's continuing presence.

Kagome holds up the little glass bottle containing the Shards, shaking it and watching the pieces of crystal wink with their own light, a nice clean pinkish hue now. She tucks the bottle away and continues to stuff her things back into her pack. She ties it shut and leans back against the cave wall, turning her head to look at the silently sulking hanyou sitting across from her. Her thoughts drift towards the absent Monk and Taijiya. The former to find a place to wash up – the latter insisting on watching out for his "foolish" back. "Ne, InuYasha?"

The silver-haired head turns, "What?" His tone is not very friendly, still pissed that he has to keep the mask on.

She touches her fingers the side of her neck, "How much do you remember from last night?" There is a slight swelling and she knows, without looking, that there is a small mark there, "You know...before we found this cave."

His eyes widen, watching her hand, and he turns his head away to hide his guilty flush, "...I...umm..."

Her own face turns red, "I thought so." She stares at the wall over his twitching ears and sighs. "Do you remember what you said?"

His glances at her, his face even redder, and swallows, "Said?"

She meets his golden eyes, feeling her own face burn hotter, "When Miroku..." She watches his face darken before he turns away again. She bites her lip with her heart lurching, _'I have to know...' _Kagome rises to walk over and kneel in front of him with her hands resting on her thighs. "Did you..." She takes a deep breath and waits until he looks up, then rushes to spit it out. "Did you mean it...or was it just the pollen talking?"

His eyes widen impossibly and his face goes pale, "Kagome...I..."

Kagome feels her heart skip and shakes her head violently, squeezing her eyes shut, "On second thought...don't answer that!" She hangs her head and breathes deeply for a few minutes, his growl from the night before still echoing in her head '_She's Mine!' _She eventually sighs and shifts to sit next to him with the wall at her back_. 'I made the decision to be with InuYasha...I'm not going to force anything from him.'_ Her heart calms and she thinks of the possessive Miko,_ 'I'm Kagome...not Kikyo.'_ Weariness hits her like a wave and she shifts closer and rests her head on his shoulder, biting back a yawn. _'I like him the way he is.'_

InuYasha looks at her dark head and frowns in confusion, _'Did I do something wrong?_' His hand reaches for the ebony locks but he hesitates, leaving her hair untouched, _'...or right?'_ He drops his hand and sighs. _'Am I ever gonna understand?'_

"Ne, InuYasha?"

He looks down at her sleepy voice and answers quietly, "What?"

"Something's been bothering me." Her head tilts back to so she can see him, "While I was at home, you came every other day until after the New Moon." Her eyes blink and her brow knots, "Why didn't you come back?" Her eyes grow more alert at his new blush and she sits up. "What is it?"

He looks down, hiding behind his hair again and mumbles something doubly muffled by the mask.

She leans closer trying to see his face through his hair, "What did you say?"

He peeks at her with a strange look in his eyes, still flushed, "...I did come back."

She frowns, "No you didn't. You only came back when my time was up." His face is practically glowing and she watches him shake his head and look away, as if embarrassed. Her frown deepens, "What?" She grabs a convenient hank of white hair and makes him face her.

He looks everywhere but at her before sighing, "I did come back."

She yanks on his hair stubbornly, "When?"

He glances at her puzzlement and hangs his head with another sigh, knowing she won't let it go. "The day after..."

**--Flashback—**

InuYasha closed the wellhouse doors behind him, gave the Shrine Grounds a quick look over, and headed for the Higurashi home. He stopped under the tree that stood near the building and frowned at the faint rhythmic sound drifting through the air, turning his head this way and that until he deciphered it to be coming from Kagome's room. _'Huh?' _His dog-like ears twitched and he cocked his head to the side in puzzlement. Curiosity growing, he jumped up onto the largish branch that was conveniently positioned for accessing Kagome's bedroom window, looked in and the clawed-hand reaching for the glass stilled. His eyes widened and his hand dropped to hold onto the branch with his claws dug in deep, feeling stunned and confused, unable to understand nor able to look away.

-------

Kagome turned the page of the dry-worded textbook with a sigh, looked at all the diagrams on the facing page and leaned backwards over the back of her chair. "Ugh!" She sat up and slammed the book shut. "I need a break." The little radio on the side of her desk caught her eye and she reached out to turn it on, twisting the dial until she found music instead of talk. She smiled, "Oh! I like this one!"

She started nodding to the beat, singing as she remembered the words. She smiled with her toe tapping through the final chorus and sighed when it ended all too soon. "Darn, I missed most of it."

When the next song started with the beat strong and fast, her eyes lit up. She jumped out of her chair and began swaying, getting the feel of it. Images of popular music videos flicked in her mind and she flung her arms out to the side, spinning around joyfully; she imitated some flashy moves, uncaring if they weren't perfect. Hips gyrating and hair flying, she closed her eyes and lost herself in the music, feeling the pounding of her heart match the fast pace of the drums and the full sound of guitars and synthesizers accompanying the soulful voice singing about hope never-ending filling her ears.

The song ended with a flair of percussion and she collapsed backward onto her bed, breathing heavily and laughing softly. _'I haven't done that in a long time!'_ She looked up at a flash of reflecting light on her ceiling and sat up to look out the window in curiosity.

She stood and crossed to the window, sliding it open to let the breeze wash over her heated flesh and looked around before shrugging. She turned back to her desk, not seeing the red and white blur dashing across the yard to the wellhouse.

InuYasha flung open the door and shut it just a quickly, leaning back against it with his breath puffing like a bellows and his heart racing. He blinked and swallowed, feeling his face still burning from the embarrassed blush that only seemed to get worse the more he thought about what he just saw.

'_What the hell was that?'_ With a frustrated growl, he leapt forward and straight into the well.

**--End Flashback--**

InuYasha's face burns again. Something strong rushes through him...something irresistible and he grits his teeth, trying to shake the lingering image of Kagome's shocking behavior out of his head. He asks out loud, "What were you doing?"

"Doing?" Kagome puts her finger on her chin, thinking back, "Oh...I remember." She gives a short laugh, "I was dancing."

"Dancing?!" InuYasha looks at her like she's crazy. "You call that...that..." he sputters, lacking the words to describe what he thinks.

She frowns, feeling a little miffed, "What's wrong with my dancing." She looks down self-consciously, "I'll admit I'm pretty amateur at it," then she looks back up at his flaming face, "but I don't think I'm all that bad!"

He chokes, "Bad?!" His face couldn't get any redder, "That...that...disgraceful," she gasps in shock but he's on a roll, "...degrading...shameful display..." he ignores her speechless state, "I've seen loose women with more..."

She feels like the top of her head is going to pop and her eyes almost cross. She folds her arms and says dangerously through her clenched teeth, "More...what?"

He looks at her and finally notices that he's in trouble. _'Oh. Shit.'_ His hands come up defensively and he pushes back against the wall, wishing he could crawl inside it to get away. "NOTHING!"

She stands up glaring down at him, flames of anger almost visible, "I N U Y A S H A..."

His ears go back and his shoulders slump in resignation.

"OSUWARI!"

The sleeping Shippo and Kirara are hardly disturbed by such a familiar sound that shakes dust loose from the cave walls.

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A few days journey to the north, there is a castle on a hillside overlooking a wide river with a good-sized village along its banks. Inside, the inhabitants await their new lord's arrival and the argument taking place in a shadowed hallway grows in volume...

"I don't care if the lamps won't stay lit! Open the shutters! There is plenty of light outside!" The angry man wearing richly embroidered robes waves his arms in agitation.

Three servants are kneeling before him with their foreheads touching the floor and the elder of them looks up briefly before looking down again, "We were warned to never enter-"

"That doesn't matter anymore!" He sighs and changes his tone, as if talking to a child, "He is dead and is no longer a concern here."

"But Master, there are strange things going on in there. I myself have heard sounds that should not be-"

The angry man stomps his slippered foot on the polished wood floor, "Did I not say that there is nothing to be afraid of?! Now, get in there and get everything cleared out!"

The servants don't move except to shake their heads fearfully.

"UGH!" He stomps again, "Cowards!" He points at the cringing men, not one of them daring to look up. "Each and every one of you!" He turns to the armed guard at his side and points into the dark room and demands, "Go in there, open the shutters and show these worthless worms that there is nothing to be afraid of!"

The warrior bows, "Hai, Sakutaro-sama." He enters and crosses to the heavily carved wooden shutters, unlatching them and raising them, letting in the morning light. The fine furnishings are in need of dusting but look otherwise well kept.

Sakutaro smiles snidely and kicks the nearest servant lightly, "See! Nothing!" They still won't enter and he sighs in disgust before entering the comfortable-looking room. He turns to look back at the kneeling men who watch avidly from the hallway and raises his arms. "Oooh...scary room!" He addresses the guard again, "Go into the inner room and open those shutters for these weak children."

The warrior bows again and immediately obeys. The heavy shutters are lifted and latched open, illuminating an almost bare room except for a small table and a heavy chest. The light reflects off of a huge collection of bladed weapons and tools hung on the wall around the doorway and dust motes float through the fresh air drifting in from the newly opened windows, pushing the stale smell out.

Sakutaro peers into the inner room with trepidation, remembering the previous occupant, then looks back at the three faces watching avidly and straightens his shoulders before stepping boldly through the second door and saying loudly, "How foolish to be afraid of a room." He glances around at the starkness of this room and turns to look back out the door, "There are worse things-eep!" He steps back squeamishly with wide eyes at the wickedly sharp blades hanging overhead and swallows. He clears his throat and looks at the still staring servants, "As I was saying; there are worse things to fear." He waves at them to come forward, "Now, get that room cleaned out right away!"

The three men look at each other uncomfortably and stand up, taking their time entering the main room, peering around the doorframe at the brightly-lit room as if the slightest noise would make them jump out of their skins.

Sakutaro rolls his eyes and turns back to examine this room a little more, avoiding the wall of blades, and points at the ironbound chest, greed overcoming him. "Kafu, open that!"

Kafu obediently walks over, studies the chest and looks back at Sakutaro, "It's locked."

"Then break it!" He sighs impatiently, crosses his arms and glances over his shoulder to gage the progress of those fools in the other room.

Kafu shrugs to himself and placidly kneels in front of the chest. Twisting the dangling lock does nothing so he draws his sword to pound on the ring with the butt of the hilt, snapping it with a few good whacks. He lays his sword down to grip the lid, raising it with protesting hinges that scream loudly at the unaccustomed movement. A horrible smell hits him in the face, making him gag and fall backwards to lie stunned on the floor.

Sakutaro drops his arms in shock, "Kafu!" He only takes a step forward when the felled man raises a hand to his face. He stops, feeling his heartbeat slow in relief; not a little jumpy himself. "Kafu? What is it?" His own squeamishness holding him back, he watches as the guard sits up with a slightly dazed look on his face. "Kafu?"

Kafu stares at his hands and then looks around the room before standing up, grabbing his sword as he straightens. He remains silent while he examines the blade of his own sword as if for the first time.

"Kafu – answer me; what happened?" Sakutaro waits impatiently and watches the guard lower his sword and finally turn to face him. "Well?"

Kafu walks toward the questioning man in the costly robes with a slight smile on his face.

Sakutaro frowns, "Kafu?" The cold look in the guard's eyes sends a shiver up his spine and his voice takes on a whining tone as he takes a step backwards, "Kafu?"

The servants in the main room look up at the shaky sound in time to watch Kafu's blade separate Sakutaro's head from his shoulders, the severed arteries spraying blood like a fountain as the body hits the floor. They take one last look at the viciously grinning guard and run screaming out of the room.

Kafu looks down at the pool of blood spreading across the floor to block the doorway with deep satisfaction. He quickly turns on his heel and returns to the open chest, wiping his blade on the leg of his pants prior to sheathing it. He kneels and rifles through the items inside, selecting a few and tucking them away inside his clothing before standing. Kafu turns to look at the opposite wall where a ring is set deep into the scarred wood and moves closer to search the woven mat below it on the floor, pulling free a few strands of long, black hair. He stares at the fine ebon sheen of them for a moment, smiling at some memory.

Knowing he has little time, he stands and moves towards the wide windows to sit on the edge. Swinging a leg over the sill, he catches a glimpse of the shocked look on Sakutaro's face and grins crookedly at the severed head lying several feet from its body. "You don't know how long I've wanted to do that!" He spits at the lifeless head and slips out the window.

The End?

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_AN – Be sure to watch for the next story. I'm not to blame...he made me do it!_

- - - - -

Please Review!

Thanks - Darkless


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